pages 555 to 683 (4602 Kb) - Limerick City Council

576 HISTORY OF LIMERICK.
C .
"An Inquisition was held in the [bishop's] court of Tullabrek, on the 9th
day of Septemher, in the year of our Lord 1447, before our Lord John, Lord
Bishop of Limerick, Robert Stancon, and many others ; item, Eoy. O'Cachaue,
jur. ; it. Sellan O'Pharrell, jur. ; it. Nichus. Fyn, jur. ; Richus. ILlcJonyn, jur. ;
Donaldus McJonyn, jur. ; Richus. Dug, jur. ; Thos. O'Morvie, jun.; Thos.
O'Bogane, jur. ; Cornelius O'Morio ; Willmus. Blewet, jur. ; who being sworn
as witness, on their oath depose, that in whatever may the tenants of Tullabrelr
did work by their horses and cattle for themselves, they would do in like
manner for the Bishop of Limerick."
The deans, f'rom the time already enumerated to the episcopacy of this
bishop, wcre, according to Dr. Cotton, Luke (13'32), Eustace de L'Eau,
or Waters (1311), who was raised to the episcopacy in that year; Stephen
de Valle (1360), who was elected bishop, according to Ware; Adam Owen
(1366), Richard Warren, Waryn, or Warying, Eustathus &Aqua, who
is named in a MS. T.C.D., f, 1-18. " But, perhaps", says Dr. Cotton,
" there is a mistake of a figure, and 1405 ought to be 1205 (see above)".
Robcrt Poer also was Archdeacon of Lismore as well as Dean of Limerick
(1434), and was sent as proxy for William, Bishop of Meath, to the coun-
cil of BAsle, and on his return the council ordered the bishop to pay all
his expenses-[eec Register Swa ne] :-Poer in 1446 was raised to the
bishopric of Waterford; and, Lstly-, Thomas O'Scmican. Fronl the
foundation of the cathedral up to this period, thcre were four precentors,
viz.: M. Omelinus (Biack Book), (1204 to 1207); Thornas (ibid., id)
(1272) ; Dyonysius O'Dea (perhaps a relative of Bishop Cornelius O'Dea),
who obtained leave of absence for five years to go and study in the schools
of Oxfbrd 2nd Cambridge (Robert Patrick Wark), and who in 1421 was
raised to the bishopric of Ossory ;' Maimer Fleming (1426)-(Cod. Clar. 36).
William Crcagh, a native of Limerick, succeeded John Mothel. by Papal
rovision, on the resignation of the latter, and was consecrated in 1459.
be occupied thc see about thirteen years. He recovered for the church the
lands of Donoughinore, according to the Black Book, which were usurped
by other^.^ The salary of the organist in his time was 6s. 84d. per ann~m.~
He was a distinguished member of a highly distinguished family, which
gave archbisl~ops and bishops to &c Church, commanders to the army,
chief magistrates to the city, and which traces its pedigree to Eugenius,
son of Nial of the Nine Hostages, son of Eochaymoyvegan, several
monarchs of Ireland having been of the family.4
Most probably it was during the reign of this prelate that the Galway
monument, or, at all events, the principal portion of that vely remarkable
monumcnt, was erectcd in the cathedral, the inscription on which has
been much dcfaccd, no doubt purposely, and most probably by the soldiers
This Bishop of Ossory may, however, have been of the Kilkenny sept of O'Dea, located near
Waterford.
2 The entry is in his own hand~riting.
Arthbr MSS.
From an old MS:-tt Here followeth the antiquity, geanologie, and explanation of the most
antient family of the Creagbs in dl places where they be, and the reason why they were called
Creaghs, and their pedigree to Eugeniuq son of Nial of the Nync Hostages, son of Eoclia~moy-
vegan, with accowt of cach monarch of Irclund that had been of tlic ancestors of the said
hmily, with the y&r of the world or of Christ each monarch began their reipe, and how many
gears each monarch reigned first, and begin with". Three brother. Pierce, Patrick, and
Jnmes, commanded the party that forced their way through Creagh Gate, which is called sftsr
their name from that day, because they wore green branches in their helmets, to distinguish
themselves from their enemies, the Daues, whom they conquered.
BISTORT OF LIMERICK. $77
of the Commonwealth, Sir Geofficy Galway, of whoin we have already
written so much (see p. 127), having becn one of the citizens proscribed by
Ireton. The coat of arms, which surmounts the monumcnt, seems to have
been placed above the tomb many years after the erection of the latter.
The arms of the Galway family are those of the De Burghs, distinguished
by a bend. On a shield at the right, over the tomb, are the arms of
Galway, impaling those of Stritch; and on a second shield, at the left,
are the Galway arms impaling those of Arthr. There is a third shield
under the apex of the monument, but we have not been able to ascer-
tain with correctness to whom it belongs. The inscription, as far as it can
be at present made out, is as follows:-
vir Ricardus XX. . . .
. . . . . ort . .. . roa . . . civitaturn Lime xxx.
Corgagiae qxx. . . . . . anno di rnccccxxxx. . . .
Hic jacet xx. . . . . . venerabilis vir Galfiridus
Galwey quondam civis civitatum Limerici Corcag xxx. . . . . .
Waterfbrdie qui obiit XL . . . Jannarii anno Domini mccccxlxx urn
xx filius tdia xx. . . . . Margarite &lie talis Eicardi xx. . . . fort
hunc tumulum fieri fecit.
Thomas Arthur succeeded in 1472, and died on the 19th July, 1486.
He was the third son of Nicholas Arthur of Limerick, and Catherine
Skyddy of the city of Cork.' His father was one of the most eminent
citizens of his time-(see p. 369), and appears to have been on intimate
terms with the Kings of England, to whom he was accustomed to make
valuable presents. His grandfather, Thon~as, did much, m we hsve seen,
towards the decoration of the cathedral. The bishop had five brothers, dl
of whom rose to distinction in their native city.
Richard, whose surname is not given by our authorities, succeeded in
1486, and died in the same year, in Rome, where he was appointed tci the
see by Pope Innocent VIII. He never took possession of his see.
John Uunow or Dumow, a canon of Exeter, doctor of laws, 'and, at
the time, ambassador of Henry VIII. to the court of Rome, was nominated,
on the 13th of November, 1486, by the Pope's pro.vision, to succeed ;
but he also died in Rome the third year after his consecration, before he
had time to visit his see.
John Folan succeeded in 1489. He was canon of Ferns, rector of
Clonmore, and procurator for Octavian de Palatio, Archbishop of Armagh
at the court of Rome, and was advanced to the see of Limerick by the
Pope, on the 13th of May in the same year. During the episcopacy of
this prelate in 1449, the nave of the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
which was narrow and mouldering to decay, was enlarged, and several
other additions were made, including the erection of three transepts, as
well as the formation of various aisles. The citizens undertook the duty
of decorating the cathedral s
The Arthurs appear to have given their aid towards these improvements.
Robert Arthur filled the office of mayor at the time, and Christopher
Arthur was one of the bail&. It was the custom, a few years sfter, if it
Arth~u MSS. ' Ibid.