Monthly Archives: January 2015

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 29 January 2015

Cork History, Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized

777a. Cork City Museum Medieval pottery cabinet

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 29 January 2015

Cork Harbour Memories (Part 8)

– A Taste of France in Medieval Cork

 

       To transform people and place, the Anglo Normans used several methodologies like walled towns, market towns like those listed in last week’s column, and castles and feudal law to secure the wider physical and cultural landscape. One of Cork’s imports in the fourteenth century also embodied change and connections to a wider empire and the diffusion of new cultural products. Cork’s large wine trade was part of mass consumer culture and this is reflected in the substantial amount of French pottery turning up on medieval archaeological sites in the city. The main French ports imported from included Gascony, Bayonne and Bordeaux. Most wine was imported to serve the needs of the English colonial outpost.

    An important step in the history of creating the Bordeaux wine region took place in 1152, when the heir to the Duchy of Aquitaine, known as Eleanor of Aquitaine, married the future king of England, Henry Plantagenet. Plantagenet would later become known as King Henry II. By the late fourteenth century, Bordeaux had become a large city. In fact it was so big, after London, it was the second most populous city under control of the English Monarchy. The Bordeaux wine trade began exporting to England in 1302 from St Emilion to serve the taste of King Edward 1. Circa 1305-1306, up to 100,000 tuns of wine were exported annually from Bordeaux to Britain for mass consumption.

    Much work has been written on the history of the wine trade in Europe. I draw here on some of the work of Susan Rose (2011, The Wine Trade in Medieval Europe, 1,000-1500AD). Saintonge was a former province of south western France, covering most of the present département of Charente-Maritime. Its chief city was Saintes. Saintonge was originally the territory inhabited by the Santones, a Gallic tribe. The principle pottery sites were rural workshops in the parishes neighbouring La Chapelle-des-Pots, on the wooded, limestone plateau north east of Saintes and some 50 kilometres down the river Charente from the maritime port of La Rochelle. Hence in each form of Saintonge pottery, the fabric is the same – a fine white to cream micaceous earthenware.

    Thousands of sherds of Saintonge Pottery have been discovered through excavation beneath Cork’s former medieval core. It occupies almost 65 to 70 per cent of the medieval assemblage. Pottery scholar and expert Clare McCutcheon has done amazing work in recognising the extent of Cork’s connections in trade through pottery analysis. The pottery also has been very useful in dating archaeological deposits in which it was found. Large sites Christ Church and what is now Bishop Lucey Park, in the 1970s, Dunne Stores and carpark site at North Gate Bridge excavated in the early 1990s, Grand Parade City Carpark in the early 2000s and smaller miscellaneous excavations from the 1980s to the 2000 have all revealed thousands of sherds of broken Saintonge pottery.

    The images in the published excavation books show tall, distinctive, and colourful jugs. Five types are revealed – mottled green, glazed and unglazed, polychrome, all over green, and sgraffito. One cannot be not impressed by the decoration – the glaze and design and the display of French identity and the skill of its maker. Clare McCuthcheon in a Miscellaneous excavation book on Cork City (1984-2000) points to the skill of knife trimming its spout; its pouring holes are quite small, created by fingers pushing out the clay. Perhaps on some of the sherds fingerprints still linger. In fact such is the extent of this broken pottery beneath the old medieval core, it could be argued that it was embraced in many of the fourteenth century medieval homes within Cork’s walled town.

    A tall, large in volume, glazed and mottled green Saintonge jug is on display in the cabinet of medieval objects in Cork Museum – it’s state as an object of nostalgia, is something to revere, its material form is further highlighted by the glued together cracks running through it. Found in twentieth century Cork – broken, functionless, and a wrecked shadow of its former self. Truth been told and in reality, there were hundreds of these jugs in Medieval Cork. This museum object stands empty – empty of its memories – indeed the glued back together element of the jug further highlights attempts to bring its story back to life. I’m not too sure if the jug could be filled to the top – its handle doesn’t look strong enough for someone to pour from a full jug, but certainly the idea of this French object sitting on a wooden table in a timber or stone dwelling within Cork’s walled town is intriguing.

    Saintonge jugs like this helped in the transformation process and in the vision of English cultural takeover. In one sense these jugs were metaphors for change, products of a new nation being constructed spanning Britain, Ireland and parts of France. One can just imagine such pottery arriving into Cork for the first time – the citizens looking at these designed objects, which were meant to have a functional meaning and to fulfil the everyday needs of the town’s citizens. Looking at them en masse though, these jugs connected places like Cork to the potters of Saintonge, the science of making mass pottery, the mass consumerism of purchasing such pottery, their mass diffusion and colony building.

 To be continued…

 

Kieran’s new book, Cork Harbour Through Time (with Dan Breen) is now available in Cork bookshops.

 

Caption:

 

777a. Cork City Museum Medieval pottery cabinet, fourteenth century Saintonge jug on left (picture: Kieran McCarthy)

 

 

 

Kieran’s Question to the City Manager/ CE and Motions, Cork City Council Meeting, 26 January 2015

Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized

 

Question to the City Manager/ CE:

To ask the Manager for an update on (a) the start date and works at Blackrock Pier? And (b) the ongoing preparation work for Mahon Library? (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)

 

Motions:

To redraw the lines, arrows etc at the important junction opposite Aldi’s entrance, the turn-off to Mahon Point from Skehard Road. The markings are faded, some cannot be seen and have led to near car collisions (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)

That the Irish government to mark the 1916 rising in 2016 give protected and national monument status to the hundreds of memorials inspired and created by the government commemoration fund in 1966. It would give continuity and build on the aspirations of the fiftieth anniversary year giving status to a wide range of memorials in the 100th anniversary year; that this motion would also be copied to other Councils in the country as well (Cllr Kieran McCarthy).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 22 January 2015

Cork History, Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes, Uncategorized

776a. Kieran’s map of thirteenth century County Cork market towns

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 22 January 2015

Cork Harbour Memories (Part 7) – The Towns We Know Well

 

   In the thirteenth century, places such as the walled town of Cork, and developing towns such as Kinsale and Youghal became centres for collecting masses of local produce for export. How these towns interlinked with each other and worked for the benefit of each other for the Anglo-Norman frontier in southern Ireland are interesting questions.

      As part of the colonisation process, sub collection points in the county were deemed important. The Sheriff of Cork in June 1299 listed 38 Anglo-Norman related market towns up and running in the most fertile countryside of County Cork. Today the majority are well known settlements; some were recognised as having further potential and developed into the villages and towns we know today. The map, inset, shows a web of frontier settlements, which were strategically placed adjacent feudal manors, on important inland routeways, fordable points of rivers and near coastal access. If one overlays main roads on this map, the settlements also influenced the development of rough roads to and from them – the early lines of some of the county’s well known routeways were created, especially roads from Cork to Fermoy, Mallow, Kinsale and to Youghal. These market spaces influenced political and civil order in and around them; their presence would have influenced spaces for people to belong to, to be controlled in and would have created their own identity structures. They maintained and encouraged the creation of agriculture practices. The regulation of trade became the lot of these locations, through administration, paper work, and the granting of privileges and immunities to its traders.

     Both Kinsale and Youghal have striking and beautiful built heritage, both were founded in the early thirteenth century. In the last number of years, in Youghal the Heritage Council and Town Council have worked up an insightful report (Conservation Plan, 2008) in an attempt to conserve and showcase its town walls. Youghal received its charter of incorporation from King John in 1202. It was mostly populated by new settlers from Bristol, a city that retained strong trading links with Youghal during the medieval period. These links are also inherent in the town’s coat of arms, the same as Bristol’s – a tower and a ship. In the thirteenth century growing trade and the presence of native Irish living outside the town required the citizens of Youghal to enclose an area of approximately 17 hectares with a wall.

    In 1224, Maurice Fitz-Gerald founded a Franciscan monastery on the south side of the town, which was the first religious foundation of the order in Ireland. It is recorded that he originally intended the building for a castle, but that, in consequence of some harsh treatment which the workmen received from his eldest son, he changed his design and determined to devote it to religious uses: but, dying in 1257, it was completed in 1260 by his second son, Thomas, whose son, in 1263 or 1271, founded a Dominican monastery, called the Friary of St Mary of Thanks. At this time the town had attained some commercial eminence, for in 1267 the amount of customs paid was £103. By the late thirteenth century and early fourteenth century Youghal was the sixth largest port in Ireland, after New Ross, Waterford, Cork, Drogheda and Dublin, trading timber and wool for spices, grain and wine with the rest of Ireland, England, Wales, and Europe. The principle ports of England and Wales supplied the town with the products of their different industries.

    In 1226 King Henry III granted permission to Andrew Blundus to have a weekly market at his manor in Kinsale. In the years following this grant, extant town records tell of Irish attempts to subvert the new feudal systems. These factors led in the course of time to the establishment of an Anglo-Norman garrison in the area. Believed to have been commenced during the mid-thirteenth century, Kinsale’s town walls were repaired in the mid-fourteenth century, damaged in the battle of Kinsale in 1601, largely destroyed in the siege of 1690 and subjected to some repairs in the eighteenth century. Samuel Lewis, in his Topographical Directory of Ireland in 1837 notes that “three of the gates were remaining till near the close of the last century; Nicholas gate was removed in 1794, Friars gate in 1796, and Cork gate in 1805”.

   The fourteenth century in Cork marked further progression in the development of the town as an Atlantic port. In 1326, Cork became a “staple” town. In otherwords, it was required by English law that Cork became an official market place. Dublin and Drogheda were also made staple towns. The regulations attached to a staple town in summary were far more attractive to foreign merchants than to the Irish themselves. Foreign trade was encouraged under this new system and it suppressed any profit making initiatives on the part of the native Irish. This new law was only one of several laws enacted in order to attract more foreign trade into Ireland. Such was the success of the Irish laws, in 1353, Bristol became a staple town as well as several other ports in England.

 To be continued…

 Kieran’s new book, Cork Harbour Through Time (with Dan Breen) is now available in Cork bookshops. 

Caption:

 776a. Kieran’s map of thirteenth century County Cork market towns/spaces, as listed by the Sheriff of Cork, June 1299 (source: information collected in A F O’Brien’s chapter Politics, Economics and Society, c.1170 to 1593 in P O’Flanagan & C Buttimer, Editors, 1993, Cork History and Society, pp-93-94).

Cork City Council Twinning Grants, 2015

Cork City Events, Grants, Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized

Cork City Council has an open call for providing grants to Cork city based groups who are willing to pursue activities to promote the twinning links between any of the twinned cities subject to certain conditions. Cork city is twinned with 6 cities, Cologne, Germany, Coventry, United Kingdom, Rennes, France, San Francisco, U.S.A., Swansea, Wales and Shanghai, China.

Twinning committee member Cllr Kieran McCarthy noted “The twinning grant scheme is an ideal source of funding to get ideas off the ground and connect Cork people to other cities of international importance. The nature of the activity may be community based, voluntary, social, business, cultural, educational, sporting or of general social and economic benefit”.

An activity which is likely to develop and deepen links and generate new contacts with a twinned city will be given extra consideration. The twinning activity may involve travelling to a twinned city but travel is not a pre-requisite for awarding a grant. The maximum grant awarded is 50 percent of what is proposed. All applications must be supported by detailed programmes and financial projections. Application forms, together with the conditions applying, are available from the Reception Desk, Cork City Council, City Hall, Cork. Closing date for receipt of applications is 5p.m on Friday, 27th February 2015.

Kieran’s Question to the City Manager/ CE and Motions, Cork City Council Meeting, 12 January 2015

Kieran's Council Work, Uncategorized

Question to the CE:

To ask the CE about why the Cork Main Drainage hoarding on Penrose Quay, opposite the old Steam Packet Office is still present? This hoarding and dug out space has been unresolved for the length of the last Council. It is ugly; inside is untidy and does not lend itself to any future plans for that area. Can management finally bring this issue to a successful conclusion? (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)

 

Motions:

That the roof of local studies in Cork city library be fixed (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)

To get a report on the next steps of revamp at Fitzgerald’s Park, especially on the proposed kitchen garden and the new playground (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town, 8 January 2015

Cork History, Kieran's Council Work, Landscapes

774a. Walled Town of Cork , c.1575 from Pacata Hibernia

Article 774 –8 January 2015

Cork Harbour Memories (Part 5) –Tales of Two Cities

 

      With the Irish Channel being a type of maritime motorway in its day, the connection between Cork and Bristol was close during the early thirteenth century. I think sometimes, we view the historic development of Irish cities as self contained but settlements such as Cork have always drawn on ideas of place making put forward elsewhere in western Europe.

     Continuing on from just before Christmas, in the early 1200s, the number of religious and charitable establishments in Bristol and Cork grew rapidly. From the earliest times of the Anglo-Norman conquest of England and of Ireland, they were interested in exercising control over the Church (for use in assimilation purposes and for its land). General history books in Bristol library such as Peter Aughton’s book, Bristol, A People’s History (2003), detail that a Dominican Priory was established in 1227-9 while a Franciscan Priory in 1234. Both were founded to the influence of Anglo-Norman family of Berkely who possessed territory near St. Mary’s Church, Redcliffe. Other church associated institutions established at the time included St Mark’s Hospital, St Bartholomew, St Lawrence, St John’s Hospital for sick poor, St Catherines, St Mary Magdalene for lepers And Brighbow for male lepers located outside the town’s eastern boundaries.

    In 1250s, the order of Augustinians was founded near Temple Gate while in 1267 a Carmelite Friary was founded. In Cork, a Dominican and Franciscan Friary were both established in 1229 while an Augustinian abbey was founded much later between the years 1275 and 1285. The Cork establishments still have very elaborate and beautiful churches in our city.

    In Bristol, the early 1200s marked conflict between the Berkelys of Redcliffe and the civic administrators over accessibility to the town. The Berkelys felt that they were discriminated against. Consequently in 1239, a new bridge was built which connected Redcliffe to the walled settlement. By 1247, the Redcliffe area became part of the town when it was walled in. In addition, a new harbour was dug at the junction of the River Froom and the larger River Avon. Between 1275 and 1300, Bristol’s seal or Coat of Arms was created, Bristol castle with a ship seeking refuge under its gates and walls and a sailor. My own gut is that Cork’s coat of arms is linked to Bristol’s one. I cannot prove it with historical detail but the close links and similar culture of development between the two cities do point to it.

    The late thirteenth century coincided with Cork expanding rapidly as a municipal centre. In 1273, the first Mayor named Richard Wine was appointed. This was a sign that Cork was taking its place amongst other up and coming English settlements. As a city we are also lucky that historical developments of the thirteenth century have survived the test of time. Concerning trade links, the oldest and richest in historic research and detail is the insightful Economic History of Cork by William O’Sullivan (1937). The historical evidence describes that the port at Cork was a wealthy earner. The customs returns of Irish ports in the period 1276 to 1333 show that Cork was the third most important port in Ireland, after New Ross and Waterford and that it was estimated that Cork possessed 17 % of total Irish trade. In addition, it is recorded that the main export duties were paid on wool, wool-fells and hides. These figures highlight Cork’s growth as a premier North Atlantic port.

    In 1284, the townscape of Cork’s walled settlement was critiqued by King Edward I. He authorised the collection of additional murage tolls or taxes on the land so that walls of the southern island i.e. around South Main Street area could be improved. He described the bridges of the town to be ruinous and the port as being so deteriorated that a swift response was needed to revamp it. The monarch also detailed that there was a vacant place, Dungarvan or the northern island, which should be built on and that it would be of great advantage to the citizens of the town. In time this area was built upon and North Main Street emerged.

    In 1317, paving and the repairing of facets of Bristol’s walled town began. In the same year in Cork it was decided to enclose with stone walls, the southern and the northern island (Dungarvan) of Cork. Hence a 16 acre settlement site across two marshy islands was created. Access into this town was via three entrances – two drawbridges and an eastern portcullis gate which lifted up and down on water. A channel of water was left between both islands; the western half was dominated by a millrace, the eastern half by an interior dock within the walled town.

    As the thirteenth century progressed, commercial leaders in Bristol and Cork began to hold chief places in civic government. For example John de Bristol became Mayor of Cork in 1336. After the extension of the wall circa 1300, several taxes are listed in subsequent royal charters granted to the city which refer to numerous traded articles. In the thirteenth century, Bristol was to open up trade with France in the form of the Gascony wine trade. Subsequently links between Ireland and other French ports through Bristol’s contact grew steadily.

 To be continued…

 

Happy New Year to all readers of this column

 

Caption:

 

774a. Pacata Hibernia view of the walled town of Cork, c.1575 (source: Cork City Library)