St Francis Abbey (in ruins) — Gardens (kilkenny City By., St. Mary’s Par.)

In a low-lying position, on soft alluvial soil, at the confluence of the River Nore, to the E, and the River Breagagh to the N (Bradley 1990, 72). Located within the NE angle of the Kilkenny city and incorporated within the city wall (KK019-026001-), one of the mural towers of which, known as Evans Turret, stands c. 75m N of the E gable of the friary church. St. Francis’ Well (KK019-026189-), now covered within a building, lies c. 35m NE of the church. Bradley (2000, 4) suggests that access to the abbey was, 'via Jenkin's Lane, now the southern part of The Ring, while a bridge over the Breagagh gave access, through Grey Freren Gate, from Irishtown'. The foundation is attributed to Richard Marshall, 3rd earl of Marshall, shortly before his death in 1234 (Carrigan 1905, vol.3, 104). However, in 1246 King Henry III granted money to the Friars Minor of Kilkenny ‘to construct their buildings and discharge their debts’, which suggests that building work may not have commenced until then (ibid.). Throughout the early 14th century the events of the abbey were recorded by Friar Clyn. He reports the erection of a new choir in 1321 and the consecration of the high altar in 1323-4 (ibid. 104). The altar is described in c. 1615 as, a single piece of marble (probably polished Kilkenny limestone), measuring 'twenty-four feet by four feet [7.3m x 1.2m]' (O'Keefe 2016, 22-3). In 1338, as a result of a major flood, ‘the entire Abbey of the Friars Minors at Kilkenny, naught, save the high altar, and the altar steps, was left untouched and uncovered by water’ (ibid, 105). In 1347, Lady Isabella Palmer who, ‘built the front of the choir’ died and in the same year a Confraternity was established to procure funds ‘for the erection of a new bell tower and for the repairs of the church’ (ibid.). The following year, in 1348, the Black Death arrived and the progress of the plaque and its effects were recorded by Friary Clyn until June 1349 when it is presumed he succumbed to the plaque himself (ibid.). Excavations by Sweetman between 1970 and 1980 uncovered 'multiple irregularly buried individuals in the western ambulatory of the Franciscan cloister at Kilkenny, suggestive of hastily buried disease victims' (O'Keefe 2016, 21, 29). In the mid-15th century the abbey church has a chapel dedicated to St Francis, as is evident from a will dated 1462 of a burgess who wished to be buried before the image of St Francis in the chapel at the Friars Minor (ibid. 25-6). According to O'Keefe (2016, 26), this chapel, 'was almost certainly the transept, built around this time' and the 'interment of wealthy Kilkenny burgesses within the transept continued until at least 1624'. Other chapels included one dedicated to Our Lady, as is evidenced by a chalice donated in 1606 to the ‘Lady Chapel’ (ibid.). O’Keefe (2016, 32-3) suggests that the dedicatory inscriptions to Our Lady and five saints, including St Francis, around the base of the chalice, ‘may reflect a dedicatory scheme of subsidiary altars within the transept and nave’. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540, the assets of the friary included, ‘a church and belfry, two chambers, a granary over three cellars, a barn, kitchen, cemetery, orchard with two closes, cont. 2 acres, a weir on the River Nore, a water-mill, a tiled chapel’, as well as ‘a dormitory, hall, third chamber and cloister’ the latter mentioned when the friary was granted to the sovereign, Walter Archer, and commonalty of Kilkenny in 1543 (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 107; Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 252-3). The friars were expelled in 1550 but returned under Queen Mary in 1553 before being expelled again in 1559 under Queen Elizabeth (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 253). The leasing of various rooms and buildings within the abbey complex between 1573 and 1628 is described by O’Keefe (2016, 35-6). The church was probably re-dedicated on the accession of King James I in 1603 and continued in use until 1650 (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 108). In 1698 the abbey was assigned for building barracks (ibid., 109) and in 1708, ‘St. Francis’ Abbey (now in the possession of his father) set to John Desborough … excepting thereout the horse-barrack, hay-yard, and the set of pillars and uncovered walls within the said Abbey’ (ibid.). According to Hogan (1860-61, vol. 6, 351) the cloister of the abbey was taken down to erect a horse barrack on its site. Rocque's map of 1758 indicates the 'Horse Barracks' S of the nave, possibly where the W claustral range was located (Bradley 2000, map 5). In 1710 the abbey precinct was incorporated into the St Francis’ Abbey Brewery, founded by the Smithwick family. A sketch of the abbey church by Grose c. 1791 shows the choir with the E window completely blocked up, the bell tower and the E end of the nave, with three lancets in the S wall and none in the wall opposite (Grose 1791 (reprint 1982), plate 45). Built up against the S wall of the nave is a row of four single-storey thatched buildings, each with a central doorway and window either side (ibid.). In the latter half of the 19th century the Royal Society of Antiquaries undertook some structural support work and repairs to the surviving building, including the insertion of metal pillars under the bell tower (Graves 1868-9, vol. 10, 213). In 1872 Prim (1872-3, vol. 12, 192) recorded that, ‘the sedilia had been repaired, and all the windows of the choir had been opened, after having been walled up for perhaps a century, to adapt the ancient building to the purposes of a raquet-court’. In addition, Graves noted that Mr Smithwick had promised to ‘remove portion of the coopers’ shed, in his brewery premises, which had been erected against the centre mullions of the great east window, while it was built up’ (ibid.). The friary was vested to the State by the Church Temporalities Commission on 30th October, 1880. Between 1888-97 some limited repairs were carried out, including the insertion of a timber centring frame under the arches of the tower, at the E and W side (1888-9, Appendix E; 1897-8, Appendix E, 42. Unpublished OPW reports). Around 1927, the timber centring was replaced by a similar reinforced concrete centring (OPW Archives). The St Francis Abbey site, apart from the abbey church and tower, remained in the ownership of the brewery until 2012 when it was purchased by Kilkenny County Council (O’Keefe 2016, 7). The upstanding remains consist of the chancel (dims. 22.2m E-W; 7.9m N-S at E end and 7.97m at W end and bell tower. Both constructed of roughly coursed limestone rubble (N wall av. T 1m; H c. 8.5m; E gable av. T 1.18m; H c. 12m; S wall av. T 0.96-1.1m; H c. 8.5m). A section of parapet projecting externally above a string course is visible on top of the S wall (H c. 0.6m; T c. 0.2m; c. 16 drain holes) with another section towards the W end of the N wall (H c. 0.5m; T c. 0.2m; c. 26 drain holes), both are significantly repaired. There are several low, wide relieving arches (N wall 2.86m from NE angle Wth 3m; H 0.1m; S wall 2.7m from NW angle Wth 3m; H 0.6m; E gable 1m from NW angle Wth 6.5m; H 0.85m) at the base of the eastern end of the chancel, these are testament to the need to provide additional support to the walls due to the large window openings and also perhaps also because of the soft nature of the ground. This need for support probably also explains the unusually high plinth (N wall H 2.6m; T 0.16m; S wall H 3.8m; T 0.15m) which runs along the N and S walls. The E end of the chancel was rebuilt in the early 14th century, possibly due to subsidence or collapse. The masonry suggests most of the E gable and c. 7m of the E end of the N wall were rebuilt. In the N wall the termination of the plinth 6.2m from the NE angle indicates the break. This does not continue vertically from the break of the plinth upwards but is visible as an irregular line c. 1m westward, providing space to accommodate the large window that is contemporary with the rebuild. The buttress at the SW angle of the bell tower