Callan — Bolton,callan North,callan South,clashacollare,dirtystep,drimeen,minnauns,tinnamoona,westcourt Demesne

The medieval town of Callan, located 15km SW of Kilkenny, was situated primarily on the S bank of the NW-SE flowing Kings River (formerly the River Rye), with a northern suburb across the river, between the manorial demesne to the W, with its motte and bailey (KK026-010009-), and the Augustinian Friary (KK026-010016-) to the E. Thomas (1992, vol. 2, 31) suggests that the town began life as a castle settlement which then spread to the less restricted space S of the river. The town owes it origins to William Marshal, earl of Pembroke and lord of Leinster between 1190 and 1219, who granted the town a charter in 1217 (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 292). The town was burned in 1286 and again in 1317, during the Bruce invasion, at which time the town charter was also burnt (ibid.; Curtis 1934, 362-3). By the 14th century the town must have been of significant stature as in 1344, ‘a Parliament was summoned to meet at Callan, to which came Maurice fitz Thomas Fitzgerald, Earl of Desmond, bringing with him several thousand men; but the King, fearing that evil instead of good would result therefrom, issued an edict prohibiting the magnates of the country from attending the said Parliament’ (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 292). In 1388, letters patent of Richard II grant to Lord Thomas de Ferrars and Lady Anne la Despenser, ‘thirty-three librates [land worth £1 a year], fifteen solidates [gold coins] and three denariates [silver coins] of rents from Callan and the advowson of the church there’ (Curtis 1934, 208, deed 287). In 1391, Hugh le Despenser, who according to Carrigan was a representative of the Marshall family, sold to James Butler, Earl of Ormond, ‘all messuages, etc., which he has in Callan le Hille and le Irraght [territory] of Callan together with advowson of the church of Callan and 33l. 15s. 3d. of rent in Callan’ (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 292; Curtis 1934, 213, deed 297). The rights of the burgesses of the town were reconfirmed in 1407 (Curtis 1934, 362-3, deed 441). The following year, ‘O’Carroll, lord of Eile O’Carroll, in the King’s County [Offaly], and 800 of his name and allies were slain, at Callan, by James, Earl of Ormond’ (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 292). In the late 16th century, 1585, Callan was empowered to send two representatives to Parliament and the town continued to do so until the Act of Union in 1800 (ibid. 293). The author of ‘Aphorismical Discovery’ (Gilbert (ed.) 1880, 64), states that during Cromwell’s campaign in Ireland, in 1650, the town was garrisoned by Ormond with 1500 men, though the town surrendered after some intense fighting (Kennedy 1984, 47-51). The town has two main thoroughfares, one (Green St./Upper Bridge St.) aligned roughly N-S running up to a bridging point (KK026-010083-), and the other (West St./Mill St. (formerly East St.)) running E-W. There were probably also numerous lanes, an archaeological excavation (licence no. 04E1518) on the S side of Mill St. revealed a cobbled lane and portion of a burgage boundary (Ó Drisceoil 2005). Where the two main streets intersected formed the focal point of the borough. The market place, with its market cross (KK026-010006-) was located at this crossroads and the parish church (KK026-010012-) is situated immediately to the SE. There is no surviving evidence of a town wall (KK026-010007-), however, there are references and cartographic evidence of town gates to the E, S and W gate, the locations of which would suggest that Callan was a very large town of c. 34 hectares, as well as an inner gate, possibly ‘Skerry’s Castle’ (KK026-010008-), on West Street which hints at a possible inner town defence (Thomas 1992, vol. 2, 30-31). Cartographic evidence shows that the S town boundary ran along Lower Green Lane (previous called Fair Green Lane and Cuddy’s Lane) to the SE and Chapel Lane to the SW (Manning 1998, 63). It would appear that while the buildings of the town were concentrated around the crossroads and the two main streets, a large area within the town boundary was utilised as gardens, orchards, fields and meadows. This is supported by numerous references to gardens, orchards, fields and meadows in the Ormond Deeds from the 14th to the 17th century and in the Civil Survey (1655-6) (Curtis 1932, 356, deed 848; Curtis 1941, vol. 5, 281-6, deed 292; Curtis 1943, vol. 6, 4-5, deed 2; Manning 1998, 52-9). In the Civil Survey (1654-6) for Callan there are references to 67 houses in the town, including 31 thatched cabins, 16 thatched houses and 20 slate houses, as well as 20 house plots or plots with 'old stone walls', presumably the latter containing ruinous houses (Manning 1998, 52-9). Fabric from these medieval and early modern houses in the town is likely to survive in many of the houses in the town. Other more indirect traces of medieval occupation has been found in the town through archaeological excavation, for instance, c. 30m S of the medieval frontage of West St., a medieval cesspit (outdoor toilet) was revealed, which would have been associated with a medieval house (Giacometti 2011; excavation licence no. 11E0234). The Civil Survey also mentions two inns, one called, 'The sign of the Bell', in a two-storey stone house with a slate roof on West St. and the other, seemingly larger on South St. (Green St.), 'The Sign of Helmet', in a two-storey stone house with a slate roof, also described as having, '2 chimneys, 6 rooms & a cellar' (Manning 1998, 52, 57). There are also references to castles, some were probably urban tower houses while others may be associated with town gates (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 296; Manning 1998, 52-9). There is a reference, in 1595, in the Ormond Deeds to, ‘a castle in the east street of Callan’ and this is probably, ‘A large castle joining to the East Gate’ mentioned in the Civil Survey (1655-6) (Curtis 1943, vol. 6, 3-4, deed 2; Manning 1998, 59). In the N suburb, a castle is mentioned in ‘Kenles street’ in 1593 and this is probably the same, ‘ruins of a castle house’ described on Kells Street in the Civil Survey (1655-6) (Curtis 1943, vol. 6, 2, deed 2; Manning 1998, 56). In the Ormond Deeds there are references to land which appears to be in the northern or transpontine suburb, which also had town defences and a town gate (Curtis 1937, vol. 4, 181, deed 225; Curtis 1941, vol. 5, 324, deed 365). The suburbs main thoroughfare, Lower Bridge St. (also called Kenles and Kells St.) running N-S between the main bridge (KK026-010083-) and the bridge (KK026-010084-) over the mill race, with another street, Mill Lane (also called Kennie, Kynnes and St Kenyes St.) running E from Lower Bridge St. before curving northward to join the Kilkenny road (Curtis 1937, 188, deed 240; Curtis 1941, vol. 5, 286, deed 292; Manning 1998, 67). Other street names are also referred to in the Ormond Deeds which appear to relate to the N suburb. From the 14th century onwards there are references to, ‘Callan le Hille’ or the hill of Callan (Curtis 1934, vol. 2, 213, deed 297). A lease of 1577 describes, ‘a mease [rented property] in the hill of Callan by the north end of the great bridge’, while others refer to ‘messuages [a house with outbuildings and a parcel of land/yard] and gardens’, ‘in the hill of Callan situated between both the bridges’ (Curtis 1941, vol. 5, 284-6, deed 292). This suggests that the area is N of the Kings River, between the main bridge and the mill race bridge, and was possibly so named after the ‘hill’ or motte which is such a dominant feature there, though it has been suggested that it may refer to the hill currently occupied by the Loretto Convent (Clutterbuck et al. 2006, 11). Another lease refers to, ‘a messuage with a garden in the hill of Callan at the Haggard lane’ (ibid.). If this is the case then Haggard Lane is also in this northern suburb. There are also references to Haggard St. which may be the same as the lane or a street associated with the lane (Curtis 1941, vol. 5, 282-3, deed 292). It follows that the ‘Haggard gate’ is a town gate on Hagg