Dublin was given a grant of murage dated 1/4/1427.
This was in the form of:-
Wording
Grant of twenty pounds per annum, to be deducted from the Crown-rent of Dublin of two hundred marks, during the ensuing twenty years, in aid of the repair, fortification, and emendation of the walls and fortalices of the city. This grant is made with assent of James le Botiller, Earl of Ormonde, Justiciary of Ireland, and of the King's Council there, at the special requisition of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in the recent Parliament at Dublin, on petition of the Mayor, Bailiffs, and Commons of the city. They have represented that, owing to pestilence, incursions by Irish enemies, and divers heavy burthens in the time of the King and his progenitors, the citizens were unable to pay the rent to the Crown without imposing tallage on the commonalty. Many of the commons had consequently left Dublin, and wuold not return to the city, on which great loss and
"manifest desolation" were thus entailed. The city walls, fortalices and towers having in divers parts become weak and ruinous, the Mayor, Bailiffs and commons were necessitated to incur heavy expenditure on them and other works requisite for defence against enemies.
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1 Apr. 1427 Dublin
The mayor, bailiffs and commons of the city of Dublin have pleaded to the K. that although they hold that city at a fee-farm of 200m p.a., yet on account of the pestilences and invasions of the K.'s Irish enemies and also various other unbearable charges which they supported both in the times of the K.'s progenitors and in the time of the present K., and which they continue to support daily the citizens are unable to pay the fee-farm without imposing a tallage on the community of the city, as a result of which many citizens have left the city and others coming there refuse to remain, to the grave damage and manifest desolation of the city; and the walls, fortresses and towers around that city in various parts have become weak and ruinous; and the mayor, bailiffs and community must sustain great expenses and costs upon the repair and fortification of that city and in other necessary charges for the defence of the city and the resistance of the malice of the K.'s enemies. By assent of James Butler, e. Ormond,1 Jcr of Ire., and the K.'s council there, and at the special request of the lords spiritual and temporal and the commons appearing in the parliament held at Dublin, GRANT to the mayor, bailiffs and community of Dublin of £20 p.a. to be deducted from the fee-farm of 200m for the city of Dublin for the next 20 years in aid of the repair, fortification and improvement of the walls and fortifications of that city.
Attested: James, e. Ormond, Jcr
Granted by Henry VI. (Regnal year 5). Granted at Dublin.
Primary Sources
Gilbert, J.T. (ed) et al, 1889,
Calendar of the ancient records of Dublin Vol. 1 p. 29-30
online copyA Calendar of Irish Chancery Letters, c. 1244-1509, PR 5 Hen. VI
View CIRCLE recordNational Archives E 101/248/11, m. 16
online reference
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 01/04/2009. Last updated on 04/06/2012. First published online 5/01/2013.
