Prison in Manorland (1st Division)

A gaol seems to have been an integral part of the castle from the time of its completion since a vaulted structure (int. dims c. 6m NE-SW; c. 4.75m NW-SE) with its first floor under the vault was constructed as a unit with the Trim gate, on its N side (Hayden 2011, 170-4). The only access to the lightless basement would have been through a trapdoor from the first floor, which had an entrance on the SE wall to the interior of the castle ward. The second floor over the vault, which has two window openings on the W wall, was accessed by a mural stairs from the entrance passage of the gatehouse. The dungeon was excavated by Sweetman (1978, 147-8), who removed c. 3m of rubble over a black deposit (D 0.5m) containing late thirteenth or early fourteenth century pottery, which can probably be dated earlier now. Beneath this deposit was a flagged floor. The earliest reference to a prisoner is in 1294, and the escape of felons was recorded in 1300 (Duffy 2011, 14-15). The presence of a gaoler is mentioned frequently in documents thereafter, the prisoners often being hostages to ensure the good behaviour of Irish groups like the O’Reilly and MacGeoghegan septs, but it is doubtful if hostages would have been held in the dungeon. The documentary references are from royal records when the castle was in the King’s hands and those held at Trim were generally prominent individuals. Richard de Tuite, listed as a Keeper of the Peace or Justice in 1328-30 (Potterton 2005, 377), was incarcerated at Trim in 1344 (Duffy 2011, 16), and in 1362 Art MacMurrough, the king of Leinster, and his tániste, died there in suspicious circumstances (ibid. 18). In 1367 the prison is specifically included in refurbishment plans intended ‘to rebuild the tower beyond the west gate of the castle of Trim, as well as the chamber beyond the gaol connected to that same tower there,…’ The following year James de Bermingham of Carbury (KD008-010002-) was held there, and from 1390 seven hostages of Niall Óg O’Neill, including his son Brian, began a long stay at Trim castle (ibid. 19). King Richard II imprisoned a royal rival, the future Henry V, at Trim, and in 1402 there was a mass break-out when the entire prison population, all 28 of them, escaped. Henry V in his turn ordered the justiciar to release the Earl of Kildare, Sir Christopher Preston, and Sir John Bellew from Trim gaol in 1418 (ibid. 20-1), but others less fortunate continued to be detained. In 1468 the gaoler and his wife were murdered by the prisoner, John Haddesore of Keppock (ibid. 23). (Potterton 2005, 225-7) Despite the dilapidated condition of the castle under the Tudors, the gaol continued to be used as in 1550, and again in 1558, pardons were issued to two under-gaolers over the escape of prisoners (Duffy 2005, 24). By 1598 a great number of prisoners were held at Trim as no court was available to hear their cases (ibid. 25), and stipulations about building a ‘safe county goal’ on the site of the castle appear in leases of the manor in 1611 and 1624 (ibid. 25), so the old gaol was perhaps still functioning but in need of replacement. However, the suggestion that a gaol be built in the castle does not arise again. The court became established on the site of Franciscan friary (ME036-048025-) c. 1618 (Hennessy 2004, 12), and the goal had moved to Mill St. (ME036-048045-) by 1684 (ibid.). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 11 July, 2019