Kilmallock (Kilmehallok) was given a grant of murage dated 1/3/1375.
This was in the form of:-
Wording
Consuetudines quaedam praeposito &c. villae de Kilmehallok a rege conceduntur pro muragio.
R' dilictis sibi preposito & Communitati ville de Kilmehallok salutem Sciatis quod nos considerantes dampna destrucciones depredaciones & incendia que ville praedicte tam per hibernicos quam per anglicos inimicos & rebelles nostros percium eidem ville ad{ja}cencium sepius prepetrata fuerunt volentes que proinde quod eadem villa que bonum locum cunctis ligeis nostris dicte {ville} propinquis pradet pro hujusmodi periculis de cetero resistendis virilius roboretur de gracia nostra speciali in auxilium relevacionem emendacionem & fortificacionem ejusdem ville muro lapideo claudende concessimus & licenciam dedimus vobus quod vos & posteri vestri per vosmet seu a vobus deputandos capere possitis & habere a die confc'ois presencium usque ad finem decem annorum proximo sequen plenar' complendorum de rebus venalibus ad eandem villam venientibus seu de eadem villa causa vendendi transeuntibus consuetudines subscriptas videlicet
de quolibet crannoco cujuscuque generis bladi vel brasei ven' unum den'
D' quolibet crannoco salis ven' unum den'
&c' ut supra usque ibi expendantur et tunc sic volumus eciam quod in fine cujuslibet anni durante termino praedicto compotus inde coram venerabili in Christo patre Episcipo lymer' & majore Civitatis lymer' qui pro tempore fuerint & non scaccarium nostram hibern de anno in annum per vos fidelicet reddatur In cujus &c' T' praefecto Gub'natore apud Dublin primo die marcii.
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1 May. 1375 Dublin
The K. has considered the damages, destructions, depredations and fires often perpetrated on the town of Kilmallock both by his Irish and English enemies of the parts neighbouring that town and rebels. Wishing, therefore, to strengthen the said town, which provides a good place for the K.'s lieges surrounding it by resisting bravely all manner of dangers, GRANT and LICENCE, of the K.'s special grace, to the provost and community of that town to take and have, by themselves or their deputies, the following customs from articles for sale coming to that town or passing the same town for the purpose of selling, to have from the date of these presents for ten years in aid, relief, improvement and fortification of the enclosure of the town with a stone wall, viz.:
from each crannock of any kind of grain or malt for sale, 1d;
from each crannock of salt for sale, 2d; .
1
ORDER to take and have those customs in the said form for ten years, at the end of which term the customs shall cease and be removed entirely. Such that the money derived shall be spent faithfully on the murage of the said town, and not otherwise. The K. wishes also that at the end of each year during that term that an account should be rendered faithfully by them on this before the venerable father in Christ, the bishop of Limerick, and the mayor of the city of Limerick, and not at the K.'s Ex. of Ire.
Attested: , governor
1 The remainder of the grant follows the form of that for Thomastown, §257
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S lis concessio praeposito et communitati ville de Kilmehallok, in relevacionem, emendacionem et fortificacionem ejusd' ville muro lapideo claudende, pro 10 annis; ita quod in fine cujuslibet anni compotus inde cor' episico et majore Lym' pro tempe et non ad scaccarium reddatur. Dub', 1 Maii
Granted by Edward III. (Regnal year 49). Granted at Dublin. Granted by Governor.
Primary Sources
Commissioners on the Public Records of Ireland, 1889 (prepared 1829-30),
Chartae Privilegia et Immunitates, being transcripts of charters and privileges to cities, towns, abbeys and other bodies corporated, 18 Henry II. to 18 Richard II., 1171 to 1395 (Dublin; Irish Record Commission) p. 68 (Ref. E Rot. Pat. 49 Edw III. m 11. d.)
A Calendar of Irish Chancery Letters, c. 1244-1509, PR 49 Edw. III
View CIRCLE recordTresham, Edward (ed), 1828,
Rotulorum patentium et clausorum cancellariae Hiberniae calendarium (Dublin; His Majesty's printers) p. 98 No. 257
Secondary Sources
Database of Irish Excavations Reports
online copyThomas, A., 1992,
The Walled Towns of Ireland Vol. 2 (Irish Academic Press) p. 132-37
Fleming, J.S., 1914,
The Town-wall Fortifications of Ireland (Paisley) p. 45
online copyMorrin, J. (ed), 1861,
Calendar of the Patent and Close Rolls of Chancery in Ireland, of the Reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth: 1514-1575 Vol. 1 p. 217n
online copy
Comments
In 1374 the town received another grant to collect murage for ten years in order to enclose the town with a stone wall. (Excav. Rep.)
The town of Kilmallock is one of the most ancient in Ireland, and the corporation, if not one by prescription, must have been created by a very early charter, as it is recognised as then existing in a charter of Edward III., dated 1st March, in the 49th year of his reign (Rol. Pat., 49 Edward III., m 11 d), whereby he granted to the provost and commonalty of the town, tolls or customs of certain commodities coming to the town to be sold or passing through it for sale, for a period of 10 years, towards the rebuilding, repairing, and fortifying of the town, to be accounted for before the Bishop of Limerick and Mayor of Limerick. (Footnote in Calendar)
A charter of Edward III., March 4, 1374, refers to the bounds within which the citizens were empowered to exercise their functions and levy customs "to enclose the said town's fortifications with a stone wall" ; it also mentions its former wall-structures as having been destroyed by fire, so that likely these had been wooden palisades, now to be replaced by stonework. (Fleming)
CIRCLE and Tresham date this as 1 May, the full transcription in CPI is marcii (March). I favour the March date on the bases of the general quality of CPI (and lesser quality of Tresham) and the location of the entry in the roll.
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 20/02/2009. Last updated on 04/06/2012. First published online 5/01/2013.
