Settlement deserted — medieval in Newtown (baker)

On the N bank of the Kings River. The settlement occupies the S portion of Newtown (Baker) townland where the medieval church (KK027-012001-) and graveyard (KK027-012009-) are located, and the SW portion of the neighbouring townland of Newtown (Shea) where the tower house (KK027-012007-) is located. The modern townlands of Castle Eve, Cronooge, Kilbricken and Ovenstown are also part of the parish of Earlstown (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 325). It is identified as a manorial caput by Empey (1990, 85) and is referred to in documents as ‘Nova Villa’ meaning new town. In c. 1200 Baldwin de Hamptonsford granted to the priory of Kells in Ossory the church of Killinthy with ten acres of land, along with the chapel of nova villa ‘which is now a mother church’ (Shine 2005, 42-3; Mon. epis. Deeds, 302). The manor passed from Hamptonsford to the De Erlaghs or D’Erleys in the beginning of the 13th century when it was granted to John d’Erley by William Marshall, probably when he accompanied Marshall to Ireland in 1206-07 (Burtchaell 1906, 155-6; Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 325; Shine 2005, 43). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 325), the ‘D’Erleys called it Newtown d’Erley, D’Erley’s Town or Erley’s Town…In the Red Book of Ossory we find it called Erleyestoun, Villa Erley, Erleystoun, Erlieston and Erley’. Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 330) identified Castle Eve castle (KK027-024001-) as the location of the early 14th-century castle of the D’Erleys, mentioned in the Red Book of Ossory c. 1300 and 1320 respectively as, ‘Curia de Erleyestoun’ and the ‘Castrum Erleye’. It is located c. 1km SW of the medieval settlement of Newtown Erly or Earlstown. The d’Erley’s held the manor for over a hundred and fifty years but were finally forced to sell it in order to secure the ransom of a desendant who had been captured while campaigning in Spain in the late 14th century (Walsh 1958, 43). According to Burtchaell (1906, 161), the d’Erley’s sold the manor to John Sweetman before 1381 and that family remained in possession until the 17th century (Burtchaell 1906, 161). However, this seems to be contradicted in the Ormond Deeds which contain two grants, one dating to 1388 of a grant of lands by John Hothum, knight, to, ‘Lord Thomas de Ferrars, knight, and Lady Anne la Despensr, who was wife of Edward le Despenser’, includes the, ‘Nova Villa de Erlay’ and another in 1391 when Hugh le Despenser grants to Jame Butler, Earl of Ormond, ‘all other lands, tenements, knights’ fees, lordships, services and advowsons of churches which he has in…Novell Villa de Erley…together with all regalities, liberties, free customs, offices, profits, rights and jurisdictions whatsoever which he has there’ (Curtis 1934, vol. 2, 208-9, deed 287; 214, deed 297 respectively). The Register of Kells Priory mentions that in 1478, John Sweetman was chief lord of all the Barony of Erley (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 330). There are several 14th century references in the Ormond Deeds to the settlement in Earlstown which relate to smaller transfers of property within the settlement. In 1331, ‘John ‘the Whyte’ grants to William son of John ‘the Whyte’, a messuage and seven acres of arable land in Woweynistoun in Erleyistoun. Given at Erleyistoun on Monday next after the feast of St. Canice, in the 5th year of Edward III. Witness: John and Richard Joy, William fitz Simon and Maurice fitz William and Reginald ‘the Whyte’. [October, 1331]’, ‘Sibyl Blac grants to Stephen the son of William fitz Maurice le Wyt half a messuage in half a croft in two acres of land, and the stang of arable land in the tenement of Erleyeston…Given at Erleyston on Sunday next after the feast of the Annunciation of the B.V.M., anno Domini MCCCXXXII [1332]. Withnesses: John Joye, Richard Somerton, Philip Joye, Nicholas Joye, William son of Adam Daniel and the reeve and many others [March 29, 1332]’ and ‘Matthew Eyleward grants to Maurice son of William “le Whyte” and his heirs one acre which lies in the field called Langelaunde in the burgage of Erleyston, as measured and assigned. Witnesses: Richard Joye, Philip Joye, Gregory Somerton, Richard fitz Hugh, John son of Reginald ‘the Whyte,’ John de Quemerford, John Leynagh and others. Given at Kilkenny on the 12th of February, anno Domini MCCCXLV in the 20th year of Edward III [February 12, 1346. N.S.]’ (Curtis 1932, vol. 1, 269, deed 634; 271-2, deed 642; 331, deed 781 respectively). Martin (1981, 52) lists Earlstown as a probable borough and provides references from the Ormond Deeds to the borough of Ovenstown which he equates with Newtown, including a deed from 1487 and other dating to 1524. The former deed states that, ‘Margaret Tobin, daughter of Thomas Tobin and of Johanna le White daughter of William le White, burgess of the town of Woweynstoun [Ovenstown], gives and grants to Robert Lenard, burgess of Kilkenny, one messuage and seven gardens with twenty acres of arable land in the borough of Woweynstoun in the barony of Arley’ and the latter that, ‘William Lenarde, burgess of Kilkenny, grants to Piers, Earl of Ormond, a messuage and sixty acres of arable land in the burgagery of Oweynstown in the barony of Erley which descended to him in hereditary right by the death of Robert Leynarde his father’ (Curtis 1935, vol. 3, 259-60, deed 270; Curtis 1937, vol. 4, 84, deed 95). An Inquistion held in 1618 describes deeds of c. 1590 which mention lands, 'held from William Sweetman, as of his manor of Erley, in socage, for a certain head rent; and by suite of court, 4 acres small measure, parcel of Garriphillybyne in the 'burgage' of Erlestowne' (Healy 1893, 230). The exact date when the Sweetmans came into possession of Earlstown is unknown but they were the proprietors when the land was confiscated under the Cromwellian confiscations and subsequently divided up between several individuals (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 332). Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 328), describes how, ‘In the rich grassy field surrounding the church there are appearances of ancient streets and roads, also many little mounds and traces of foundations. Those, with the church, are now all that remain of the Nova Villa d’Erley of medieval times’. Shine (2005, 48-52) identified a hollow-way (KK027-012008-) running roughly N-S (NNE-SSW) immediately E of the graveyard extension running southward for c. 180m before turning SW for c. 50m to the meandering stream which joins the Kings River at Newtown bridge. The hollow-way may continue N for c. 200m, suggested by a linear cropmark visible on satellite imagery (Digitalglobe, imagery date 2011-2013). A geophysical survey revealed plot boundaries running roughly E and W from the hollow-way and it is interesting to note that a rectangular plot of glebe land (dims. c. 70m ESE-WSW; c. 34m NNE-SSW), indicated on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map c. 150m NE of the church and graveyard, follows the same line as the plot boundaries identified on the geophysical survey (ibid.) References: Burtchaell, G. D. 1906 The manor of Erley or Erlestown, County Kilkenny. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 36, 154-65. Shine, L. 2005 The manor of Earlstown, county Kilkenny: an interdisciplinary approach. In Lyttleton, J. and O'Keeffe, T. (eds.), The manor in medieval and early modern Ireland, 40-69. Dublin. Four Courts Press. Walsh, F.R. 1958 Castle Eve. Old Kilkenny Review 10, 42-6 Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 25 April 2023