Town defences in Lagavooren,moneymore

The following description is derived from both the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986) and the 'Archaeological Survey of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1991). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 16 July 2010 These enclosed an area of c. 45 hectares and had a circumference of 2.35km. We are fortunate that a sixteenth-century plan of Drogheda survives (Bradley 1978, 100) on which the main medieval features are represented, though this must be treated with some caution. The town is divided E-W by the River Boyne which also acted at one time as the county boundary between Louth and Meath. There appear to have been ten gateways, six in the N sector and four in the S. The remains of only two survive, St Laurence's Gate (LH024-041005-) and the Butter Gate (LH024-041007-). Besides the gateways there were also a number of towers along the walls and the N bank of the river (Bradley 1978, map opp. p. 98). Six or seven of the mural towers were S of the river while in the N sector there appear to have been between seven and ten. No remains of these can be seen on the ground and the only surviving portions of the wall are a large stretch at the W side of the town, a short fragment close to St Laurence's Gate, and a long section to the S of St Mary's Church. A subsidy was conceded in 1279 for a stone enclosure and one in 1316 for the repair of the wall and towers (D'Alton 1844, vol. I, 87), so we can safely assume that the town walls and towers were built by the end of the thirteenth century. The section situated to the S of St Mary's Church (LH024-041010-), is the longest stretch (c. 92m) and the best-preserved portion of the medieval wall of Drogheda. It is built of roughly coursed limestone blocks and has been constructed in two distinct phases. There are the remains of a wall-walk with single-splayed opes in the parapet wall. There is a further line of opes c. 0.5m below the level of the others, but they are partially blocked by a later raising of the level of the wall-walk. The E portion of the wall is arcaded and buttressed. The buttresses are obviously a late or second phase addition to the wall. The parapet wall is 0.7m thick and the wall-walk 0.9m wide, giving a total thickness of 1.6m. There is a blocked doorway near the W end of the wall but this is undoubtedly of fairly recent origin. Situated c. 9.5m to the SW of St Laurence's Gate (LH024-041005-), are the only other substantial remains, being c. 12.5m long. Two large sections of arcading each span an area of 3.5m. This arcading is on the inner face of the wall and is c. 0.75m deep. The total Wth of the wall is just less than 2m. A number of excavations were undertaken along the line of the town wall by ACS Ltd. in 1996 (Excavation Licence 96E0160). Excavations at Peace Bridge revealed a section of the town wall of c. 13th century construction. Two phases of construction were visible both with arrow slits and wall walks. The wall was nearly 2m wide at its base with a batter on the outside and a buttress on the inside against the foundations. It would originally have stood to a height of c. 6.42m. Excavations at Murdock's Car Park revealed two substantial portions of the town wall. They each measured over 1m in Wth but only one or two courses of the wall remained as the rest had been destroyed by later activity. This represents the first archaeological evidence to date for the existence of a medieval river wall. Excavations at the east end of Wellington Quay revealed a short section of the town wall. This section was aligned east to west, was approximately 1.6m thick and had a batter on its western side. Excavations at John Street revealed some of the the foundations of the town wall which had been excavated into natural boulder clay and evidence for a possible ditch was found just outside the line of the town wall here. The following describes the various components of the town wall in a clockwise direction beginning with West Gate. A working map has been placed in the SMR file which shows the locations of the various numbered components (1-24 are N of the Boyne and 25-34 are S). (1) Referred to as West Gate. According to Bradley (1984b) it may have been a twin bastioned structure. Also shown on Taylor and Skinner's map of 1778 but was demolished by 1808 (D'Alton 1844, I, 90). (Bradley 1984b, 89-90) (2) Referred to as Fair Gate. Appears to have been a rectangular gatehouse. No trace survives at ground level. (Bradley 1984b, 90) (3) Depicted on early maps as a tower or gate. No trace survives at ground level. (Bradley 1984b, 90) (4) A mural tower depicted on early maps. No trace survives at ground level. (Bradley 1984b, 90, Tower 8) (5) A mural tower depicted on early maps. No trace survives at ground level. (Bradley 1984b, 90, Tower 9) (6) A mural tower depicted on early maps. No trace survives at ground level. (Bradley 1984b, 90, Tower 10) (7) Referred to as St. Sunday's Gate. The name is derived from 'St. Sunday's Friary', an alternative name for the Dominican friary. Research by Bradley (1984b) indicates that it was a rectangular structure with a barbican linked to the tower by two side walls. In 13th and 14th century documents it is referred to as the North Gate and Cow Gate. No trace survives at ground level. (Bradley 1984b, 90) (8) Referred to as Tooting Tower on 17th century map. No trace survives at ground level. (Bradley 1984b, 90) (9) Referred to as Taylor's Hall Tower. May have had gate attached. Portion of this tower was still standing at the rear of No. 13 King Street in 1941. (Bradley 1984b, 90) (10) Referred to as Pigeon Tower. A 17th century depiction shows an arch. No trace survives at ground level. (Bradley 1984b, 91) (11) Usually called St Laurence's, it consists of a barbican with an arched entrance-way and a rounded tower at the N and S sides. The towers are four storeys high including the battlement levels but excluding an additional floor for a loft above the third storey. The opposing or inward-facing sides above the level of the central arch have flattened façades, that of the S tower being more pronounced so that it has a sharp angle at the NW. The towers are joined at first- and top-floor level by arches with crenellations above, partly supported on slight oversailings carried on small stone corbels. The second-floor level between the towers must have been built of wood and was carried on beams set on corbels and into the walls. The gate-tower is situated to the E of or outside the line of the town wall, a fragment of which still stands to its SW. There are two garderobe exits in the W face of the S tower and one in the N tower which presumably discharged into a fosse to the W of the gateway. The gate-tower is constructed of quite well coursed limestone and greywacke rubble, while some of the details such as the portcullis groove and the outer arch contain a hard grey sandstone. Almost at the centre of the E façade, at first-floor level, in the wall that joins the bastions there is a window with a rounded arch and surrounds of moulded Dundry stone. The street level at present is higher than the ground floor of the tower. At the E side, where the street level drops slightly, there is evidence of a slight base batter on the towers. At the E end of the entranceway are the remains of a portcullis groove constructed of grey sandstone, now eroded and stained from pollution. The arch of the entranceway of the E side, which is almost semi-circular, is constructed of badly-eroded sandstone blocks. The arch at the W side is flatter than that on the E side, being segmental and constructed of limestone blocks. There appear to be two distinct periods of building involved, plus some relatively modem alterations to the entranceway and W façade. The earlier phase, which probably dates to the end of the thirteenth century, incl