Portlaoise (Maryborough, Queen's county, Ireland) was given a grant of murage dated 4/4/1570.
This was in the form of:-
This is a grant which may have been used for walls but could have been used for other civic improvements.
Wording
Charter of Maryborough; reciting certain instructions, dated at Oatelands, the seventh day of August, one thousand five hundred and sixty-nine, the eleventh year of her Majesty's reign, inrolled in the Rolls of Chancery of Ireland; granting that the town of Maryborough, in the Queen's County, in the realm of Ireland, should be a free and undoubted borough, and that the inhabitants and their successors should be incorporated by the name of the Burgomaster, Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Commons for ever; that the Burgomaster, Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Commons of the town, and their successors, might have all, every, and such like liberties and free customs as the town of the Naas, in the county of Kildare, within the realm of Ireland, the burgesses and commons, have or enjoy, or which appertain or belong to any other free borough; that the Burgesses and Commons, and their successors, in every year at the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, might choose one of themselves to be Burgomaster, and two bailiffs, there to serve for one year next after the election, to keep the borough and hold the courts of the town, and to do and put in execution, according to justice, all things concerning or belonging to the town, the Burgesses and Commons thereof, and their successors for ever: after the election, the Burgomaster and bailiffs shall the same day take their corporal oath before the Constable of the castle or fort of Maryborough, or in his absence before the Burgesses and Commons of the town, and their successors, well and faithfully to conduct andi behave themselves towards her Majesty for over, as well in confirming the right and title of her Majesty as concerning the liberties and customs of the borough; and for the better execution of his office, the Burgomaster, and his successors for the time being, shall have full and sufficient authority and power to elect and constitute one man to be a sergeant, to carry the mace before the Burgomaster, and his successors, within the town and franchises. That the Burgomaster, burgesses, and commons, of the town or borough, may erect, build, and fortify the borough with ditches and stone walls, for its better defence and fortification, and that all the lands, tenements, rents, and other hereditaments, with their appurtenances, which are within the space of eight thousand feet on either part of the walls of the castle or fort, should be from hence for ever within the franchises, liberties, and jurisdiction of the town and borough; and the jurisdiction and franchises thereof should no further extend without the castle or fort.
The Charter further grants the return of all writs and mandates, and the execution thereof, in any way touching or concerning the borough, so that it shall not be lawful for any sheriff or other officer to come into the town or borough to execute his office except in the default of the Burgomaster and Bailiffs, and their successors; (the writs and process at the suit of the Queen, her heirs or successors, always excepted and foreprized); that the Burgomaster and Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Commons of the town, and their successors, shall have jurisdiction and cognizance of pleas of all personal causes happening or arising within the franchises and jurisdiction of the town and borough, to be holden before the Burgomaster and Bailiffs, and their successors for ever; that the Burgomaster and Bailiffs, and their successors, shall have sufficient power and authority of all pleas personal growing or arising within the franchises and jurisdiction of the town and borough, to be holden before themselves, the Burgomaster, Bailiffs, and their successors for ever, and that they may make such due process and execution thereof in all pleas personal as the Mayor and Sheriffs of the town of Drogheda have been accustomed to do and might use in pleas personal; that they may have jurisdiction to hold pleas in the nature of assize or frisca fortia of all the lands within the borough and franchises as the Mayor and Sheriffs of Drogheda have been accustomed to do in like pleas; and that the Burgomaster, Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Commons, and their successors, may have and enjoy all the profits and amercements of the pleas, as well personal as assize, and all the goods and chattels of infangthef, for ever; for and towards the building, reparation, and fortification of the walls, ditches, and pavement of the town and borough.
The Burgomaster of the town, and his successors, are constituted justices of the peace within the town and franchises, and all that which belongs to the office of justice of peace, they may execute in all things within the town and franchises; the Burgomaster, Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Commons of the town, may hold a market on Thursday in every week for ever, within the town and borough, in some place within the town and borough which to them shall be thought most expedient and convenient; and the Burgomaster and Bailiffs shall be escheators and clerks of the market, and have the correction of all weights and measures within the town and franchises; the escheator and clerk of the market shall have power, jurisdiction, and liberty to do and execute all things which to the office appertaineth within the town and franchises; provided, notwithstanding, that their doings in the premises are to be inquired of before the Queen, her heirs and successors, in the chief place of the realm of Ireland, and corrected according to justice, as often as occasion should require; the Burgomaster, Bailiffs, and their successors, shall be coroners within the borough and the franchises thereof, for ever, and have jurisdiction and liberty to do and execute all things which to the office of coroner belongs, within the town and franchises; provided, notwithstanding, that their doings in the premises should be inquired of before the Queen, in her chief place of the realm of Ireland, and corrected according to justice, as often as occasion should require; that no inhabitant of the town should plead or be impleaded in any other place but within the borough, before the Burgomaster and Bailiffs, and their successors for ever, of or concerning any trespass, contract, or any other matter personal occurring, done, or committed within the town, borough, or franchises: that they by themselves or deputies may take, collect, and receive all the customs under-written, to be converted to the use and commodity of the borough, and the reparation thereof, that is to say, for every horse sold within the town, and franchises thereof, twopence, good and lawful money of Ireland; for every cow sold, twopence; for every goat sold there, one penny ; for every hog sold, a halfpenny; for every sack of grain sold there, a halfpenny; for every sheep sold there a farthing; for every seame of taberlay sold, a halfpenny; for every hide or skin, one halfpenny; for every cart body or plough sold there, a penny; for every pair of wheels sold, a halfpenny; for all kind of merchandise of the value of two shillings, a halfpenny; for all merchandise of the value of five shillings, a penny; and that the burgomaster, bailiffs, and their successors, might have and receive all other customs and profits all things sold within the town and franchises, as the bailiffs of the town of Dundalk, within the realm of Ireland, might have received and do receive and levy within the town and franchises of Dundalk ; the burgomaster, bailiffs, and their successors, rendering and paying yearly for the customs to the Queen, her heirs and successors, at the receipt, of her exchequer, ten shillings lawful money of Ireland, at the Feast of Easter and Saint Michael the Archangel, by even portions.
The Burgomaster, Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Commons, or the greater part of them, shall have power, authority, and jurisdiction to constitute, ordain, and establish such laws, constitutions, and ordnances amongst themselves, from time to time, as to them shall be thought most convenient for the utility and profit of the borough; so as those laws, constitutions, and ordinances should not be contrary to the laws of the realm; and if it should seem good and expedient unto them, the same laws or any part thereof they may revoke, mitigate, abate, and annul, at their will and discretion. And that it shall not be lawful for any person coming to the market with any wares, merchandize, or victuals (except victuals for immediate sustentation) to buy, unless within the hours of eight in the forenoon and three in the afternoon of the day of the market, (the traffick of the freemen of the town always excepted), upon pain of forfeiture of the things so bought, to be converted to the use and commodity of the borough, and to the reparation thereof; that no foreigner or merchant stranger shall sell by retail anv wares or merchandizes brought from beyond the seas in the town or franchises, without licence of the Burgomaster, Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Commons, and their successors for ever ; and that the Burgomaster, Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Commons of the town may have within the town and franchises all waifs and strays which henceforth should happen to occur, towards the help, maintenance, and reparation of the borough for ever.
It shall not be lawful for any person living in the borough to exercise any mystery, faculty, or-occupation, except he be admitted and allowed a freeman of the borough by the Burgomaster, Bailiff's, Burgesses, and Commons, and their successors for ever; and that the Burgesses and Commons may presently choose among themselves one Burgomaster and two Bailiffs, there to serve until the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, to rule the borough, and to keep and hold the courts of the town; and from time to time, after the decease or death of the burgomaster and bailiffs of the town, they shall and may choose, from amongst themselves, another person or persons to serve in the office until the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel then next following: and finally that this gift or grant shall be reputed, construed, and allowed in all courts in as ample manner and form, to the advantage of the Burgomaster, Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Commons of the town, and their successors., as it can be construed and interpreted, any thing or matter whatsoever in anywise notwithstanding.—Dublin, April 4, 12°. Elizabeth.
Granted by Elizabeth I. (Regnal year 12). Granted at Dublin.
Primary Sources
Morrin, J. (ed), 1863,
Calendar of the Patent and Close Rolls of Chancery in Ireland, from the 18th to the 45th of Queen Elizabeth Vol. 2 p. 219-223
online copy
Secondary Sources
Thomas, A., 1992, The Walled Towns of Ireland Vol. 2 (Irish Academic Press) p. 165-67
Comments
Whilst the town was the site of a strong fortification - 'Fort of Liex' or 'Fort Protector' started 1548 there is only slight, mainly cartographic, evidence that any town walls were constructed and this probably post 1600.
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 14/03/2009. Last updated on 04/06/2012. First published online 5/01/2013.
