Part 16 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 15

Saturday, 17. — From Mallow to Two-Pot house, 2 Miles; to Ballyhoury mountain, 4; to Kilmallock, in ye County of Limerick, 6; to Bruff, 3; to Limerick, at ye py'd horse, 9 Miles. At Two-Pot house, with our Tea We had Toast & Butter made in an uncommon

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manner; ye Landlady broil'd ye bread on a Gridiron, then melted some Butter in a Saucepan, which She pour'd on ye grill'd bread. When We descended from ye Mountain, a large Valley receiv'd Us; at a Turnpike, 3 Miles before Kilmallock, ye County of Limerick begins. Kilmallock,²⁰ in Camden's time, Second in this County to Limerick only, both for plenty & populousness, is now a Row of ruin'd houses, in which notwithstanding there appears an Air of grandeur, for they are several stories high, & very deep, of a durable handsome Stone, ye Door-Cases &c. all of Stone. Cromwell burnt this town, since which It never recover'd Itself to any great degree; And ye Duke of Berwick compleated it's Desolation by burning What remain'd: It is now a very poor place, but it's Walls are pretty entire & it's Gates. The Friery²¹ is as noble a Ruin as can be seen; ye Shell only of it's very large Church, — & part of ye Tower, — standing, yet so as that You have ye entire height. There is enough still to convince Us that It much exceeded any building We have yet seen in Ireland. The Tower is in ye middle on high Arches. Nothing clumsy throughout ye Whole. Inserted in one of it's Walls is ye following Inscription, each letter a Capital, —²²
1642
TERTIA LUX CAESOS MEMORAT SEPTEMBRIS IN ANNO
QUEM LEGIS HEU NONDUM TRES TENET URNA SENES
MARTE NEPOS ERAT RESQUE RUUNT TRIA PIGNORA JUSTO
JUS PATRIAE CAUSAM REXQUE FIDESQUE PROBANT
INTEGER ATTRITIS REPERITUR CANDOR IN EXTIS
VIRGINIS ET VERI PURPURA MARTYRIJ
LILIA PURPUREOS INTER SUDANTIA FLUCTUS
TRES MERUERE TRIUM NOMINA MARMOR HABE²³
FRES:²⁴ GEOR
NEP. EDW BURGATE[in larger capitals]
ALEX

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Over This, ye Arms cut out in Stone, being 3 Boar's Heads, 9 Cross Croslets, & a Chevron, ranged in this Order —²⁵

On a rais'd Tomb, nigh This, is ye following Inscription, each Letter a Capital —
I H S
HIC TUMULUS ERECTUS FUIT
IN MEMORIAM ILLIUS STEMMATIS
GERALDINORUM QUI
VULGO VOCANTUR EQUITES
ALBI²⁶
JOHANNES CUM FILIO SUO
EDMUNDO ET MAURICIO FILIO
PREEFATI²⁷ EDMUNDI
ET MULTI ALIJ EJUSDEM FAMILIEE²⁸ HIC²⁹ TUMULANTAR³⁰ PREEFATAS³¹
There is no Stop after this last word; it makes no sense here, probably something else was to have been added.

There is an old building without that Gate which leads to Limerick, call'd The White Knight's Castle. Joining to ye Church are ye Remains of other Building, as one whole Side of Cloister, in which a Room arch'd with Stone, high & long; It has two Chimneys; over it, have been Apartments. There is an old thing, call'd ye Vicar's Castle. The Parish-Church, dedicated to St Peter & St Paul, is most of it in ruins, unroof'd; it's Pillars clumsy, Tombs here; a very small part of it in use at present. Beyond ye Jail, stands ye Shell of a large house, once ye Bishop's Palace, I'm told; ye Bishop of Limerick has a good Estate about this Town. In Bruff, a Market-town,

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is an old house of Sir Standish Hartstongue's. We descended to Limerick, Our Road to this City from Kilmallock was on a Causey; ye Cathedral-Tower is a great addition to ye Prospect of Limerick; ye other Churches cannot be seen.