Part 8 of Diary of a Tour in 1732 through parts of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland

Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

Diary of a Tour in 1732 through parts of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland (Author: John Loveday)

Entry 7

Friday, 9. — From Leighlin bridge to Kilkenny, in ye County of Kilkenny, at ye Star in Irish Town, 10 Miles out of Leighlin, on an higher ground, ye ruins of a Cross. 'Tis a Turnpike Road, part of it on a barren higher Ground, having a pleasant Valley with several Villages, for ye most part on ye left hand. More than One ruinated Church in this Route, The 2nd Turnpike is placed, where ye Counties part. Kilkenny is a large Town, fair built of Stone, and by much ye best midland Town in ye Island. 'Tis well water'd by ye Neor, commonly call'd ye Neure, Part of ye Walls remaining, ye Gates entire. The Irish Town, which begins at ye bridge just out of ye Gate nearest ye Cathedral, is a distinct Corporacion from ye City, which is govern'd by a Mayor & Alderman, extending it's Jurisdiction also over ye Suburbs. Here is an handsome Town-house. But one Parish Church, St. Mary's in ye City, an ancient Structure; there have been, I'm told, two more Churches; One was St Patrick's, now quite gone; ye other, St John's, joyning to ye Priory of that name; But of this latter I have some doubt, the large Shell indeed of a Church is now remaining there, with a Tower; It has ancient rais'd Monuments.

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with Effigies, & Some of modern Date; in ye Close too, are more Monuments but This I take to be ye Priory Church: here are ye Barracks, as also at ye Franciscan Friery, ye Shell of this Church, is standing with it's Tower rais'd on an high Arch; The Enclosure of this house was very large, & ye Inhabitants of Kilkenny purchas'd it of ye Crown after ye Suppression. The Tower & very large Shell of ye Black Friers Church is also still remaining. The Castle, a fine building of Stone, has a new Look, It stands on ye left as We entred ye Town, — on ye farther side ye bridge; Entring thro' ye Gate-Way, ye buildings are All fronting You, & on your left hand; Those on ye left are of ye elder Date, Those to ye Front — a bare Shell, but roof'd, built by this Duke of Ormond. The house is kept in good repair by ye Earl of Arran, whose Agent lives in it; ye Goods &c. were torn down and sold upon ye Confiscation, except some perfectly neat Marble Chimney-pieces. The Dining Room is in some decay, it's Chimney-piece of Kilkenny Marble. Boate tells Us, at p. 82, of his Natural History of Ireland, that ye Quarry of this Marble is not above a quarter of a Mile distant from ye Town, & that when polish'd ye Marble gets a fine blewish Colour, drawing somewhat towards ye Black. But for ye Castle, — Some Apartmtents below are furnish'd by Lord Arran (who has not been here, since a School-Boy) with gilt-leather hangings, — Chairs, — a Screen &c. A noble long Gallery above, & of a good-proportion'd Width. In some Rooms — incomparable Tapestry,¹⁰ From ye Castle-Leads is a fine Prospect of ye Town & Countrey. In Irish Town, on a gently rising Hill, is ye Cathedral of ye See of¹¹ Ossory,¹² for about ye end of Henry ye 2nds

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reign ye See was translated from Agabo in Upper-Ossory to this place. The Church here is considerably large; indeed, in Harris's opinion, ye largest in ye kingdom, except ye 2 in Dublin [v. ye English Ware. i. 433] but it wants a good Tower, for That at present is much inferior to ye Tower at Winchester. 'Tis built in form of a Cross. At ye South end of ye Cross-Isle, is a very high Stone Beacon.¹³ The North & South Isles are not flagg'd, except where they make part of ye Cross-Isle, but they are to be done shortly. The Choir has Pews & Galleries in it, one Pew for ye Mayor & Aldermen of Kilkenny. Here is an Organ, but no Choir-Service. In a place to ye North of ye Choir are some ancient Monuments of ye Ormond family, which were taken out of ye Church; The Head-dress of a Lady — one of 'em — is something like ye Mitre of ye Jewish High-Priest, another of ye same kind We saw in St John's Priory.¹⁴ There are several Monuments in ye Cathedral; One for a Butler, Lord Mountgarret; Some Tombs for Craftsmen have ye Implements of their Trade engrav'd on 'em as a Shuttle &c. on a Weaver's; v. p. 46. A Stone dug up about 2 Years since is in much esteem with ye Inhabitants of Irish-Town; It has on it ye Cross, other Instruments of Christ's Sufferings, ye seamless Coat &c. [vide p. 34.] and is a Tomb-stone for a Burgensis Villae de Iristoune, who dy'd in 1597. Irish-Town is a distinct Corporacion from Kilkenny, nay sends two Members to Parliament as well as ye City, & is govern'd by a Portreve & Burgesses; ye Bishop (Lord thereof by immemorial Prescription) has ye nominacion of ye Portreve out of two or more Persons return'd to him, this Corporacion having been founded and endow'd by Bishops of this See. The Government of Kilkenny would have, that ye Corporacion of Irish-Town was a late

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thing, set up by Bishop Otway, (Otway did indeed with great expence defend ye Privileges of this Corporacion against ye City), but This Epitaph is an authentic Evidence on ye side of Irish-Town. Consult Sir J. Ware, under ‘John Parry, Bishop of Ossory’. The late Bishop Sir Thomas Vesey was much belov'd, He liv'd in an open way upon ye Revenues of his Bishoprick (which by not taking Fines, but raising ye Rents, from 800 £ per Annum He made 1300 £ per Annum) & his large Estate otherwise. Bishop Tenison, threatning to invalidate ye Proceedings of ye Corporacion in ye Vacancy of ye See, lost himself much here, & has nothing near that Sway in ye Government of Irish-Town as his Predecessor had. In ye Cathedral, are also bury'd some of ye Bishops but there are not ye Effigies of any. Bishop Otway, who dy'd in 1692-3, is bury'd under a plain Stone in ye Nave, not many paces within ye West Door, which He could scarce be brought to consent to, He thinking himself unworthy to be bury'd, but in ye Cemetery. Some Monuments here are made of ye black Kilkenny Marble. But ye chief Ornament of ye Church, are ye excellently well-turn'd Arches before ye Entrance of ye Choir.¹⁵ In ye North part of ye Cross-Isle is a small place with a Communion-Table rail'd in, which they call ye Parish-Church, so constituted (I'm told) by a Bishop who suing some Dissenters for not coming to Church, They objected their having no Parish-Church. The only Ecclesiastical Houses are ye Palace, ye Deanary, & ye Chantor's house, tho' there is a Spot of Ground for an house, belonging to each Dignitary. The Dean is call'd Dean of St Canice to whom ye Church is dedicated; ye place worth about 300 £ per Annum. Mossom is ye present Dean. The Cemetery has pleasant walks of Trees round it, & to ye West a Terrace; here You have a perfectly pleasant Yiew of ye City, & Countrey about It. In ye two Protestant Churches is sufficient room for all ye Protestant Inhabitants of both Corporacions, for there are here 15 Papists to 5 Protestant, and there has been great talk of a begging-friery set up in ye Town.

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