St. James Graveyard, Dublin 8. Feasibility Study

Public Consultation 2

2011-03-15T11:28:00.007Z

Moving forward, the design team and Dublin City Council would like to invite any interested parties to a Stage 2 public consultation to be held on Friday 25th of March, 4:30 - 7:00pm at St. James’s Parochial Hall, James’s St. Dublin 8.

Over the course of the evening we would like to give a short presentation on our progress to date and also to give those in attendance the opportunity to voice their opinions and discuss the future of the graveyard further.

Any queries should be directed to bslarch@gmail.com (With thanks to Fr. John Collins for the use of the hall)

More useful information!

2011-03-15T10:49:00.012Z

Moving forward the team sought to delve further into graveyards history, associations and archaeology. This process was deemed prudent in establishing a format for developing any possible future interventions.

St James’ Church

The fate of the church building is highlighted as a crucial factor for the graveyards future. With that in mind, research was undertaken in the representative church body (RCB) to unearth information on the current church building and also the structure that existed previously. The earlier church was constructed in 1707 and is described as … “long, low, narrow building, with six windows in each side, with circular heads…”, Referred to by Wright , G.N. (1825): An historical guide to the city of Dublin; Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, London. p 78. See image (right) of Survey plan of 1707 church, [SOURCE: RCB Library]

The survey drawing is dated 27th January 1835, and it was around this time the Ecclesiastical Commissioners would have begun to consider its replacement— perhaps this was the reason the survey was carried out. This is the church which features on the historic maps of 1728, 1756, 1799, 1811, 1836 and 1846-7. Curiously, the maps of 1756,1799 and 1836 all indicate buttresses on the south wall of the church, while the survey shows two buttresses on the north wall. It must be assumed that this was inaccuracy on the part of the cartographers, as this form of reinforcement would have been useful on the northern wall, in order to act against the force of gravity on such a steeply sloping site, while buttresses on the south side would have been counter-productive. It may be possible that the maps were illustrating some buttressing, or other feature, at one time located on the south wall but subsequently removed, and that the 1836 map, which is dated almost exactly contemporaneously with the survey, reproduced information from previous maps which was by then out-of-date. In any case, the map of 1847 tallies with this drawn survey, and of all the maps it is the one in which the church is drawn with the greatest level of detail, and thus presumably, accuracy.

Burials and Monuments

The earliest reference, so far, to a burial at the church or graveyard is in the will of Walter Soggyn, made in 1495, who wished, “To be buried in the church of St. James’ without the city...”, and who also left, “...for repair of said church

A group of burials of note are those of the ‘Channel Row nuns’; a courageous community of Dominican nuns who persevered to live a religiously observant convent life from 1717 onwards, through a period of strict enforcement of the Penal Laws. Their convent was located in Channel Row (now Brunswick Street), north of the Liffey, and it was there that they lived and maintained a chapel and also ran a boarding school for some time. They endured significant persecution and poverty during the C18th and are remarkable for their tenacity. Following almost a century in the city centre, they moved to Clontarf and then Cabra, where the community survived into the C20th. The main founder of the convent, and its first Superior, was Mother Mary Bellew and she and the other nuns of Channel Row were buried in St. James’ graveyard until approximately 1776, at which time a plot in Mulhuddart was acquired.

There are a number of eminent churchmen whose burials are recorded as being in St. James’ graveyard. These include Redmond MacCarron (or Caron), a Franciscan scholar who wrote treatises in support of loyalty to Charles II following the Restoration and who died in 1666, with 2,000 people reputed to have accompanied his remains to the graveyard; Dr. Richard Lincoln, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin from 1757 until his death in 1762 and Dr. Stephen MacEgan, Bishop of Meath, a Dominican Father who was instrumental in bringing the Dominican nuns to Channel Row (as discussed above, also buried in St. James’) and who died in 1756. An interesting exchange recorded in 1867 describes futile attempts at that time by the contemporary Dominican Provincial, Dr. Russell, to find Dr. MacEgan’s tomb in order to record the inscription. The person dispatched to the graveyard with this job had no success, despite having many tombs cleaned, and reported that, “… the ruthless hand of the bigot has defacedmany inscriptions which have had emblems of Catholicity on them.

Historic accounts also record the burial of several important members of Irish society, including Henry Rochfort whose family were the Earls of Belvedere. He died in 1665, leaving a pregnant wife, and stipulating in his will that if the child was a girl that she should receive an additional 300 pounds over and above the 1200 formerly limited unto her by his deed of settlement. Another was Sir Stephen Rice, a Privy Councillor and Baron of the Irish Exchequer (despite being a member of a prominent Catholic family), who died in 1714. There was also James Macdonnel, son of Sir Randal Macdonnel, third Baronet of Moye who captained a ship in the service of Charles II, subsequently joined King James’s army, accompanied him to France and was eventually attainted (his estate granted to Charles Campbell). James would have been fourth baronet, but for the attainder. He died, unmarried, in 1728. It is also recorded that two brothers of the political philosopher Edmund Burke, both of whom died in infancy, are buried in St. James’. His father, Richard, asked in his will to be buried there but it is not known if his wishes were fulfilled. Edmund Burke, who supported the American Revolution and spoke out against the that of the French, is himself buried in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

In addition to these esteemed members of society, the less privileged also found their way to the graveyard. In 1861, it was reported that Roman Catholic paupers were buried in Glasnevin Cemetery and that Protestant paupers were buried in St. James’ churchyard, with the guardians defraying the expenses. Indeed, some of the more interesting memorials and inscriptions are not those of people of renown in society, but are those that give an insight into the lives and deaths of more ‘ordinary’ individuals. For example, a poignant headstone was erected by the unfortunate parents of George Hersee, who died following an accident aged 191/2 years in 1939. The memorial also remembers two daughters, Lil and Mary, who had previously died aged 2 years and 18 months. Another reminder of the high infant mortality that plagued previous generations can been seen in the inscription to Garnet Nadin, whose memorial was, somewhat unusually, erected by, “...some of his many friends St. James’s Gate…”, and also remembers his three infant children Emma, Edmund and Ethel. Also worthy of note, though not because of the biographical information in the inscription, but due to the carvings that decorate it, is a memorial dating from 1707, to a person named Shayler, which features an angel type carving at the top and a skull crossed bones near the bottom.

One of the most significant burials, and monuments, in the graveyard is that of Sir Toby (Theobald) Butler (d.1721), who framed the Articles of Limerick and became Solicitor General for Ireland. The inscription is in Latin, and was translated by the Irish Builder as follows:

This bust is a likeness of Sir Theobald Butler, an Irish lawyer, | an honour to the laws, his name and his country, Invested, not exalted, with the equestrian dignity. An advocate, Judicious, | upright, polished, eloquent, excelling in the native and his| legal dialect, not in partial Justice, not in search of favours, | not in flattering language, but in weight of arguments, innate |force of genius and a consummate knowledge of the laws. A man | whom eloquence, an unsullied faith, gravity tempered with much | humour and affability, whom a sincere and virtuous course of | life, and a mind the guardian of virtue, sagacious to unfold | the intricacies of the law have raised to the summit of fame, | and might also, were it not for his religion, have raised him | no doubt to that of fortune. He died aged 70 the 11th March | MDCCXX[1771], inferior only todeath. James his | eldest son erects this monument to his most worthy father. (Igoe, V. (2001): Dublin burial grounds and graveyards; Wolfhound Press, Dublin ; p 243)

Image of memorial to Sir Toby Butler below

The following anecdote about Sir Toby Butler features in the reminiscences of the actor John O’Keefe: “When I was a child, I saw the famous Sir Toby Butler, a favorite lawyer of his time, his powers of oratory being great: but he always drank his bottle before he went to the courts. A client, very solicitous about the success of his cause, requested Sir Toby not to drink his accustomed bottle that morning. Sir Toby promised on his honour he would not. He went to the court, pleaded, and gained a verdict. The client met him exulting in the success of his advice, when, to his astonishment, Sir Toby assured him that is he had not taken his bottle, he should have lost the case. ‘But your promise, Sir Toby?’ ‘I kept it faithfully and honourably, I did not drink a drop—I poured my bottle of claret into a wheaten loaf and ate it. So I had my bottle, you your verdict, and I am a man of my word’” (Stoddard, R.H. (1875): Personal reminiscences by O’Keefe, Kelly and Taylor; Scribner, Armstrong & Co., p.5. 16. Wright, G.N. (1825): An historical guide to the city of Dublin; Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, London. p 78) This monument was restored in 1876-77 by the architect William Fogarty, of Limerick and Dublin.

Archaeology

The Church

Clarke (2002, 18) references that the land for St. James’ church and cemetery was donated by Henry Tirel in c. 1190, and that the ‘church with appurtenances ‘was granted to St Thomas’s Abbey in c. 1196. C. 1196, Tirel also granted the tithe of a mill situated in the parish of St James, along with a tithe of fishing from a pond next to the mill (Gilbert 1889, 392, cited by Duddy 2003, 88).

Between 1181 and 1212, the Archbishop of Dublin, John Cumin, granted the church to the monks of St. Thomas’s abbey. The parish boundaries of St. James’ parish were also stated as stretching from the Newgate (the western city gate), in the east, as far as Kilmainham, to the west, and on the north side as far as Bridge Street (Mc Neill 1950, 31). Thus, the parish of St James’ included the entire western suburb as far as the city gate. ‘1181- 1212.- Archbishop John grants to the canons of St. Victor in the church of Blessed Thomas the Marytr, by Dublin, the church of St. James’, and he has invested them canonically in full chapter to their own uses and those of the poor and guests, saving Episcopal rights. So that the church may have the whole suburb, he fixes the parish boundaries from the New Gate on the west of Dublin and the street of the great bridge as far as the bounds of the lands of Killmaynan, excepting both sides of the street in which Alelim’s house stands and Donour street as far as the pond below St. Thomas Court, in which St. Patrick’s church should have parochial rights; saving, however, to the canons all tithes of their mills and arable land, and should they wish to let their arable land they may still have parish rights in it.’

While it is recorded in c 1294 that the church was too poor to be taxed, it survived the rigours of the late medieval period and was still in existence in 1530, when it was worth 12d (by comparison, the church of St. Catherine to the east was also worth 12d, although the church of St. John the Evangelist (in Fishamble Street) was only worth 6d) (Mc Neill 1950, 275).

The church is described thus in Archbishop Bulkeley’s visitation of 1630 ‘the church of St James’ is now covered but not glassed, the chancel down’ (Ronan 1941). Close by was a small roadside cross known as St James’s Cross (Gilbert and Gilbert 1889-1944, 1, 114). Clarke (1998, 50, fig. 4) places this cross close to the junction of James’s St with Bow Lane. The cross is mentioned in 1695 thus..’ a lease.. of a parcel of ground and a lane on the right hand of the way leading from St James’s Cross to Bow Bridge….’ (CARD V1, 112). We might infer that the cross was located at the junction between the two roads to Kilmainham, which is supported by a lease of 1696 of a parcel of land called the ‘Cross acre’ which lay between the road to Bow Bridge and the road from St James’s Gate to Kilmainham (CARD V1, 149).

The setting of the church, at the western end of the parish, is considered significant by Duddy in his consideration (2003) of the expansion of the holdings of St Thomas’s Abbey. The presence of the ecclesiastic foundation at Kilmainham (on the site of the Royal Hospital) is also of significance in the western location of the parish church.

The Graveyard

The large burial ground encloses the church on three sides, and comprises one and a half acres. The main part is on the north side, and, apart from a level terrace on which the 19th century church is sited, slopes steeply to the north.

The cemetery of St James’ is likely to be contemporary with the church, that is, in use from the late 12th century onwards. The FAS survey of 1988 cites Twiss (1918-20) that the first recorded burial is that of Walter Segyne or Soggyn, proved in 1495, in which he asked to be buried ‘in the church of St James without the city’ (also Igoe 2001, 242). Ni Mharcaigh (1997, 276) records that ‘some 16th century burials’ are contained in the churchyard. The detailed FAS survey located a headstone of 1627, while two worked medieval stones were recovered from the cemetery, and could have originated from the medieval church. These are now located in the Representative Church Body Library.

See below extract from Historic map of St James’ Graveyard interments, courtesy Fr. John Collins , St James’ Parish Archive - Date and Author unknown.

The graveyard survey mapped 705 tombstones, and recorded c. 500 inscriptions. The burial registers, which begin in 1742, end in 1989 with a single burial in the period from 1976. In excess if 30,000 recorded burials are listed, and this does not include the likely medieval, unrecorded, interrals. Many of the more recent burials are also unmarked.

Along with Bully’s Acre in Kilmainham and St Kevin’s in Camden Row, it was the burial ground most used by Catholics in Penal times. According to Igoe (2001, 241) the burial custom was to carry the coffin three times around the sundial in front of the churchyard three times before burial, to recite the burial prayers, as Catholic priests were not allowed to officiate at burials within Protestant churchyards.

The earliest burials are listed with the occupant’s name and address. The addresses vary from nearby Watling St to Moore St and Marlborough St. On average, there were two to three burials per day. The parish records for St James’ up to 1900 are available on irishgenealogy.ie.

Ecology of the graveyard

St. James’ graveyard was classified by Natura (2004) as overgrown and disused, and effectively derelict. The site had been overtaken by encroaching scrub woodland, brambles Rubus fruticosus agg. and Ivy Hedera helix to the extent that cutting equipment was required to gain access. It was noted that vegetation may have damaged memorials, however access was too limited to allow a detailed assessment to confirm this opinion. Ivy was particularly abundant, reducing visibility of stone features and thus significantly lowering the cultural heritage value of the site.

The report on Dublin graveyards noted that they were surprisingly rich in terms of habitats and species. Typical scrub species include Wych Elm [Ulmus glabra], Elder [Sambucus nigra], Butterfly Bush [Buddleja davidii], sapling Sycamore [Acer pseudoplatanus] and Ash [Fraxinus excelsior]. Such scrub provides significant bat and bird foraging habitat due to the significant resident invertebrate populations, including potential breeding habitat for the latter. The St. James’ woody habitats were composed of an understorey of scrub beneath a dense broad-leaved canopy of mature Ash, Sycamore, and Holly [Ilex aquilifolium]. The characteristic graveyard tree Yew [Taxus baccata] also occurred within the graveyard although the dense tree cover may have suppressed its growth somewhat. These habitats contribute to the importance of the site as a green island or ‘stepping stone’ habitat in an otherwise urban landscape. This is particularly the case for St. James’ due to its location in a heavily developed urban area of Dublin 8 largely devoid of green spaces.

Site survey by another ecologist Mary Tubridy as part of the Liberties Local Area Plan revealed at least ten probable breeding bird species with others possible. Species included Blue Tit [Parus caerulea], Dunnock [Prunella modularis], Goldcrest [Regulus regulus] (single pair), Robin [Erithacus rubecula] (several pairs), and Wren [Troglodytes troglodytes] were all noted. Scott Cawley Ltd undertook bat surveys in the graveyard in 2008 as part of this project and note that the area had high potential for bats but that the area was almost too dense for most common bat species to use.

In 2010 the graveyard underwent a degree of clearance of sub-canopy vegetation to allow topographic surveying to take place. Checks for breeding birds took place to ensure that no nests were disturbed. Removal of vegetation allowed exploration of the ground flora in August 2010. Whilst ivy covered the majority of the ground, there were a few other native species that are commonly found in such habitats. These included Wood rush [Luzula sylvatica], Cock’s-foot [Dactylus glomerata], Nettle [Urtica dioica], Cleavers [Galium aparine] and other early colonisers. The graveyard currently retains all of the dense woody canopy but there are more open areas as shown below. Several old bird nests, mainly wren and blackbird were found in the woody vegetation.

St. James’s Gate site, near the graveyard is of particular interest to botanists as it has been the subject of detailed survey in the mid 20th century. Dr. James Brunker was an amateur botanist who worked at the Brewery in the 1940’s. Besides cataloguing a vast range of species across Dublin County, Brunker recorded a diverse range of flora within the brewery site itself. Amongst these plants were a significant number of alien species that had found their way into the site with the imported grain that came from overseas. According to Brunker’s specimen vouchers, these species came from California, ‘southern Europe’ and ‘Indo-Europe’.

Unfortunately all of the unusual aliens have disappeared due to the use of herbicides around the site. Nevertheless, it is an interesting piece of natural history that is embedded in the context of the overall area. Some of these alien species have been recorded elsewhere in Ireland (particularly where ports and railways have moved grain around the country). However some records are the only ones of their kind for Ireland, these are Holy Thistle [Cnicus benedictus], Sorghum, Millet or Dhurra [Sorghum halepense] from Indian grain, and Annual Fleabane [Erigeron annua]. Some of these species may even appear in the graveyard if the seed bank is still viable.

Mammal species that would be expected to be found within the area or passing through it include fox [Vulpes vulpes], hedgehog [Erinaceus europaeus]- and known to have been sighted in the nearby Diageo site), pygmy shrew, [Sorex minutus], wood mouse [Apodemus sylvaticus] and brown rat [Rattus norvegicus]. Hedgehog, otter and pygmy shrew are protected species under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. Otter are also protected under the EC Habitats Directive. Local residents have reported seeing grey squirrel [Sciurus vulgaris] and hedgehog. Even otters [Lutra lutra] have been recorded in the Liffey and occasionally stray into Dublin City Centre.

Making Progress

2011-03-15T10:25:00.009Z

Firstly we would like to extend our thanks to all those who attended and contributed to the public consultation back in August last year. The responses and level of feedback received were better than we could have ever imagined. It is invigorating to see such a passionate interest in the graveyard from people of all backgrounds and age groups.

We are optimistic that this interest can be translated into a new era for St James’, ensuring its longevity as a sacred resting place and its proper management for future years.

Consultation Feedback

As mentioned above we had a fantastic turn out for the Consultation last August. Our records show that over 60 people turned up on the night with many more contributing via letter, email and phone calls.

Since then the team has been working behind the scenes to greater our understanding of the graveyard’s inherent qualities with a view to developing a concise and accurate feasibility study. We began by analysing the consultee feedback under the given headings:

Name/
Age/
Location/
Meaning or significance the graveyard has to individuals and families/
Description of graveyards current condition/
Hopes for future usage/
Reservations for future usage/

This information would form the platform for our study. A brief summary of our findings are highlighted by the diagrams below.

Public Consultation.

2010-08-10T11:05:00.007+01:00

Dublin City Council have commissioned a feasibility study for St. James’s Graveyard, James’s St. Dublin 8 to look at the graveyard as an accessible public amenity/historical resource set in the context of the wider Liberties area.

The study team is interested in the opinions of any interested parties who may have a view on the future of the graveyard.

There is considerable historical, archaeological and ecological value already embedded within this site. It is a genealogical resource with emotion spiritual connections to the descendants and communities who have links with those interred there.

In this feasibility study, we will endeavour to make suggestions as to how the space may be used, respectful of the heritage, yet attracting visitors and the public. To best achieve this we would value the inputs of the wider community, individuals, institutions and societies.

We would therefore invite any interested parties to a public consultation to be held on Tuesday 24th of August, 6:30 - 8:30 at St. James’s Parish Parochial Hall, James’s St. Dublin 8.

Any inquiries should be directed to bslarch@gmail.com

(With thanks to Fr. John Collins for the use of the hall)

Cleaning up and Clearing out

2010-08-10T10:57:00.010+01:00

For the next stage of the feasibility study the design team sought to commence the 1st stage of clearance works for the graveyard. This was not a simple matter of “slash & burn”! The site was heavily overgrown, housing a myriad of sensitive, high value archaeological artifacts set within an established vegetative haven in an urban setting.

Taking these factors into account, it was deemed prudent to produce a concise method statement for the works. The team took care to ensure that all scenarios and potential pitfalls from the works were accounted for and mitigated against.

After an exhaustive, interdisciplinary assessment of the site a document was produced highlighting the main archaeological, ecological and safety issues to be adhered to during the works.

The main objectives of the clearance works were to:

• To facilitate an accurate topographical survey by allowing access to the entire facade of church and the central body of the graveyard.

• To uncover all graves and monuments to an extent permissible by the Archaeological and Ecological considerations set out by the team Ecologist and Archaeologist.

• To remove all rubbish and debris throughout the site.

The Stage 1 Clearance Works commenced in mid July and lasted 2 weeks. During this time, the team Ecologist and Archaeologist were hand on a daily basis to oversee the works which were completed without a hitch!

Getting Started

2010-07-08T14:57:00.012+01:00

The historic graveyard of St. James’ located on James’ Street, Dublin 8 is being transferred to the ownership of Dublin City Council. A feasibility study was commissioned to look at the graveyard as an accessible public amenity/historical resource set in the context of the wider Liberties area. The study is being undertaken by a multidisciplinary team led by Bernard Seymour Landscape Architects and will take into account the quality of the landscape, architectural heritage, ecology and archaeology of the church and graveyard. The site is located beside Guinness’ Brewery and is approximately 1.5 acres in size.

A little bit of history.

St James’ Graveyard is the largest of the old cemeteries in Dublin’s inner city and was founded in the late 12^th Century shortly after the Anglo –Norman Invasion c.1190 0.25km west of the city on land granted by Henry Tirel. In 1196, the church, with all its appurtenances, was granted to St Thomas’s Abbey. The church yard is one of the oldest burial grounds in the city and was the one most used by Catholics during penal times. The first record of a burial is in the will of Walter Segyne dated 1495.

The graveyard hosts a multitude of burials spanning the social spectrum, ranging from a volunteer executed for his part in the 1916 rising to Augustinian Friars from the nearby monastery on Thomas Street. Notable persons buried within St. James’ Graveyard include Sir Toby Butler (1650-1721), solicitor general under James II and advocate of the catholic case against the penal laws. The grave of Mother Mary Bellew (died 1726) can also be found. She was responsible for founding the Dominican sisters Channel Row Convent c.1717 having originated in Galway.

The graveyard has long been marked out by the inhabitants of the liberties as a desirable cemetery for the interment of their friends and loved ones. From as early as the 16^th century (1577) an annual fair was held on James Street, opposite the church-yard. This was known as ‘The Feast of St. James’ and took place on the 25^th of July. During the celebration, relatives of the deceased and parishioners would decorate the graves with ornaments made from white paper. The church and ‘The Feast’ has strong religious ties to Santiago De Compostela in Northern Spain where the apostle St. James is said to buried. Historically Irish pilgrims would gather outside St. James’ Gate, walk to Dublin Port and then embark on the long voyage across the Bay of Biscay to La Coruna before moving on to Santiago.

The existing church building closed for worship in 1963. The third to be built on the site, the church was designed by Joseph Welland, architect to the Board of the First Fruits and later the Ecclesiastical Commission and was built in 1859-60. Walland was also responsible for a number of other Church of Ireland places of worship in Dublin including: Zion Church, Zion Road and St. John’s Church, Monkstown.

The graveyard is currently overgrown with dense vegetation and has been untended since it was refurbished by FAS in the 1980’s. The former church building is in private ownership and the commercial lighting shop ‘Lighting World’ trading from the church has gone into liquidation and is presently unoccupied.

The Goal.

The design team is looking to explore options for future public use and access under the following guidelines / parameters:

Establishing the graveyard within the wider frame of existing planning, The Liberties Local Area Plan 2009, urban design and socio-economic strategies.
Assessing the building's current condition and a full evaluation of the artefacts & monuments on site. This info will then be collated into an overall strategy for the long term management of the site.
Identifying service requirements, development issues / opportunities and potential links to and through the adjacent lands and surrounding residential development.
Preparation of a masterplan for the future development of the site as an accessible public amenity which embodies the cultural heritage, ecological and spiritual values of the place.

Comments.

This aim of this blog is to update any interested parties on the progress of the study and to encourage comments, questions and suggestions from the public.

To facilitate this we have put together a short online survey to allow you to give your thoughts on the study. We would encourage you to complete the survey at the following address:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RKF5DNQ

Alternatively, please add your comments to the comments section of the blog below, email us at bslarch@gmail.com or contact us by post at Bernard Seymour Landscape Architects, 15 Upper Ormond Quay, Dublin 7