Ancient Wall — Athlone

The following description of the town defences is mainly taken from the Urban Survey of Co. Westmeath (Bradley et. al. 1985, 37-41) with additional material from the Athlone Town Walls Conservation Plan 2005. In 1251 the King of England ordered the payment of ‘80 marks of the K.’s money in aid of the inclosure of the K.’s vills (WM029-042----) of Adlon [Athlone] and Rendun [Rindown, Co. Roscommon], and repair of their castles (WM029-042002-) (Cal. doc. Ire., 469). It is not clear however whether this money was applied to the Leinster or Connacht side or to both. Further information on the walls is lacking until the late sixteenth century by which time the walls had probably fallen into considerable disrepair. Proposals to rebuild the wall were made by Sir Nicholas Malby in 1576 but these appear to have remained in the draft stage. Some work however was carried out on the defences at this time, particularly on the E and N gates. Extensive rebuilding of the wall may been completed 1619 when the walls of the Leinster town were reconstructed as part of Wilmot's rebuilding scheme for the town. The walls may have been completed by 1619 for in this year a land grant to Robert Dillon included 'a house and garden, lately Tho. Wolfe’s and Shane Bragan’s, and the parcel of Clonen, 2a, near the town wall' (Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I, 421) and also 'a garden near the N. wall, lately Mich. Pickering’s; all in Athlone' (ibid.). The state papers of Charles I records the role Lord Wilmot, President of Connacht played in the walling of Athlone town. An undated submmission (possibly c. 1627) sent to the King by Lord Wilmot concerning Athlone records that 'I am chiefly charged with building and walling the town and making away with certain lands and rents from the Crown. Most of the things menioned were done 17 years ago, and I cannot make present answer in regard to them' (Cal. S.P. Ire., 323). The submission goes on to state that 'this disposes all charges except one regarding 200 or 300 acres given by your Majesty to every school house in the plantation and given by King James to the inhabitants on condition they built the town with brick and stone and walled it well. This building work is done' (ibid.). In 1630 the state papers recorded that 'the walling of Athlone for guard of the bridge (WM029-042004-) there, since which plantations the English have regained part of their ancient power in the inland parts which were most offensive' (Cal. S.P. Ire., 150). It is clear that the walling of Athlone was an integral part for the successful Crown plantation of Westmeath and the adjoining regions during the first quarter of the 17th century, possibly between 1610-1619. In the wars of 1641-53 some improvements were made to the fortifications, notably the construction by the confederates of a wall and gatehouse along the Leinster waterfront in 1643, demolished soon afterwards by the Cromwellians. The Cromwellians themselves considerably strengthened the town's defences between 1651 and 1654 and several bastions were added to the Leinster town while the Connacht side was fortified with earthen ramparts. In 1682 Sir Henry Piers (1981, 86-7) described the fortifications as follows: ‘The town on both sides of the river was in time of the late usurpers [the Cromwellian Commonwealth] very well fortified. The part on this [Leinster] side hath very strong walls with very large flankers of lime and stone, according to the rules of modern fortification. The inside of these walls and bulwarks was lined with a large rampart of stone and earth, the outside was made not easily accessible by a large deep graff ; round about on the flankers were mounted several great guns. The town on the other [Connacht] side was also fortified with great ramparts of earth flanked, and a large deep graff. The works here were set with a quick-set hedge, which was well kept and neatly shorn and had obtained a considerable growth at the time of his majesty’s happy restoration, so that there was a living strength both pleasant and useful. But all this beauty, all this strength is of late vanished, especially that on the other side, and the old castle (WM029-042002-) only after the old fashion is upheld’. Piers goes on to state that the town of Athlone 'had walls and two towers or gate-houses, or tower that scoured [secured] the principal streets' (Vallancey 1786, 88). Although improvements were carried out by the Jacobites in 1689-91, these were essentially the fortifications assailed and largely demolished by Ginkel in 1691. The course of the medieval defences on the Leinster side appears to have been incorporated into the early seventeenth century wall constructed for Wilmot but the line of the medieval defences on the Connacht side has been completely obliterated. There is good information on the course of the seventeenth century defences however. A feature of the defences on the Connacht side was the Connacht Tower which stood to the N of the castle (WM029-042002-). This was a rectangular structure with two circular towers at N angles, linked to Athlone Castle by defensive wall or ditch, perhaps the 'great fosse' to form the riverside bawn. Little is known of its history and the earliest references occur in the late sixteenth century. In 1581, it is described as 'an old ruinous tower' which would suggest that it was built considerably earlier. Langrishe records that its ruins survived into the mid-nineteenth century and that it was removed during the Shannon improvements and the making of the Grace Road (Bradley et. al. 1985, 38). East side of Athlone : The town wall on the E side of Athlone enclosed an area of 14 statute acres. The works of 1552-4 appear to have largely obliterated earlier work except in one clearly visible section near Court Devenish. The wall was penetrated by two gates and had five bastions in addition to an outwork protecting the Dublin Gate. There is no indication of a river wall despite the reference to the construction of such wall in 1643. A demi-bastion, set on a slight promontory, jutted into the River Shannon on the Leinster side of the town. The wall continued in a E direction for approx. 87m where it met the North Gate. The North Gate was situated at the junction of Lucas Lane and North Gate Street. Unlike Dublin Gate its builder is not known but until 1578 it was in the possession of Robert Damport, provost-marshal of Connacht, when it was leased to Henry Brande of Trim. It would appear that the construction of the gatehouse is related to the building of the bridge and therefore a date between 1566 and 1578 may be suggested. A print of c.1820 by George Petrie shows that the gate was rectangular and had three floors with battlements above. Nothing of the actual gate remains. There were remnants of the wall to the S of the gate remaining in a factory site on the S side of the road but these were removed during the building of the Radisson hotel (See licence number 98E0210) (Wheeler et. al. 2005, 54). From here the wall ran eastwards along Lucas Lane for 70m to the site of an incomplete bastion, 0.74m wide and 2.4m high. Part of the largest bastion of the town on Lucas Lane. This bastion was constructed during the Cromwellian period. It carries a plaque which states: 'The Old Wall of Athlone 1251'. A long section of wall, approx. 1.9m, stretches from Lucas Lane to the rear of the Prince of Wales Hotel. It is 1.5 - 1.6m wide, 1.85m high and survived in good condition with a semi-circular tower, portion of a bastion (see above) and a complete bastion. This latter bastion is known as the 'Garden' or 'Royal' Bastion. The largest surviving bastion of Athlone, preserved as a garden wall for a house. This bastion was constructed during the Cromwellian period. All four sides of it are preserved. This bastion also has an exterior batter (Wheeler et. al. 2005, 50). The wall continued to the N of Court Devenish (WM029-042035-) where a s