Road — road/trackway in Dukesmeadows (shillelogher By., St. Patrick's Par.)

Medieval road to Thomastown, which passed through the Castle Gate in the town wall (KK019-026001-) and the barbican (KK019-026078-) of the outer ward defences of Kilkenny Castle (KK019-026078-) identified in a 2010 geophysical survey (Gimson 2010, unpublished; Ó Drisceoil 2020, unpublished). Prior to the construction of the present Castle Road around 1769, the 'Common Road' to the castle ran c. 40m NE of its present line, as depicted on Francis Place's 1699 view of the castle from the E, John Rocque's 1758 map and the Richard Steele map of 1767, which is largely a trace of Rocque (Watters 1872, 57; Bradley 2000, 10). In 1435 James, Earl of Ormond granted to William Boyd of Kilkenny all his land 'between the wall of the Earl’s garden and the common road by which you go from said William’s messuage to the Earl’s castle' (Curtis 1932 vol. 3, no. 124). Both Francis Place and Rocque depict it as a tree lined avenue leading up to the Inner Ward and the 2010 geophysical survey identified part of its line running west towards the possible outer gatehouse (Gimson 2010). Sometime around the mid-19th century paving associated with the road was noted, according to Watters: ‘The old paved line of road, I understand, was found some years since, while trenching the lawn to the South of the castle’ and a section of the road's metalling was also noted in archaeological monitoring by Ben Murtagh in 2000 (Watters 1872, 57; Murtagh 2000, 146-7). In 1769 Walter Butler was granted permission to construct the present Castle Road because the old road was 'much out of repair': ‘Whereas so much of the old high Road leading from the City of Kilkenny to Thomastown, in the county of Kilkenny, as extends from the old Castle Gate to the road leading to the Stone Mills, now occupied by Henry Scott, miller, is at present much out of repair; and whereas the said high Road may be considerably shortened by running the same through the Castle Garden, within the Liberties of this City, and Walter Butler hath accordingly proposed to make a new Road from the Town Wall, adjoining the old Castle Gate of this City, through the sd Castle Garden, to the old Lime Kiln on the said Road, of the width of Forty feet at the least, and containing in length sixty Perches, at his own proper costs and charges; and whereas the said new Road, when completed, will be much more commodious to the Public, we therefore present that the said Walter Butler have liberty to make the said new road accordingly at his own expense’ (Watters 1872, 56-7). In order to make way for the new road the Castle Gate on the town wall was demolished in 1769 (Bradley 2000, 14). In the 2010 geophysical survey the medieval road to Thomastown was identified as an E-W linear anomaly (dims. L 60m x Wth 2m) corresponding to the location of the road as depicted on the 1758 map of Kilkenny by John Rocque. A possible 17th century fortification (KK019-026220-) is on the N side of the road outside the castle moat. Compiled by: Cóilín Ó Drisceoil Date of upload: 11 November 2020