The Eve of All-Hallows; Or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel, v. 3 of 3

by Matthew Weld Hartstonge

"John, Lord of Ireland, Earl of Morton, to all his subjects and friends, French, English, Irish, and Welch, present and to come, greeting.—Know ye, that I have given and granted, and by this my charter confirmed, to my citizens of Dublin, as well those who inhabit without the walls, as to those who dwell within them, as far as the boundary of the town, that they may have their limits as they were perambulated, by the oaths of the honest men of the city itself, in pursuance of a precept sent to them by King Henry, my father; namely, on the east and south sides of Dublin, by the pasture-grounds which lead as far as the port of St. Keivin's church, and so along the road as far as Kylemerekangan, and from thence, as they are divided from the lands of Donenobroogi,[19] as far as the Doder, and from the Doder to the sea, namely, to Clarade, close to the sea, and from Clarade as far as Ramynelan. And on the west side of Dublin, from St. Patrick's church, through the valley as far as Farnan-Clenegimethe; and from thence, as they are divided from the lands of Kylmainam, near Aven-Liffey, as far as the ford of Kilmastan; and beyond the water of Aven-Liffey, towards the north by Cnocknogannoc; and from thence as far as the Barns of the Holy Trinity; and from those Barns to the gallows; and so as the division runs between Cloulic and Crynan, as far as Tolecan, and afterwards to the church of St. Mary of Ostmanby. These things we have also granted to them, that their tenures and land be secure who have any granted to them in our charter; from thence without the walls, as far as the before-mentioned limits; that the city may not dispose of those lands as of other lands, but that they observe the common customs of the city, as other citizens do. But this we declare of those who have had our charter of certain lands, within the said limits, without the walls, before we had granted the aforesaid liberties and this charter."—The History of the City of Dublin, by Walter Harris, 8vo. Dublin, 1766, pp. 118, 119, 120.

The franchises of the city of Cork, according to Doctor Smith, in his celebrated History of Cork, vol. i. p. 49, were perambulated in "an handsome manner" [he says no more] on October 20, 1714; and the night concluded with fire-works and illuminations in honour of his Majesty King George I., whose coronation was that day celebrated in the city. By an order of the D'oyer Hundred, the Mayor was ordered to ride round the liberties and franchises of the city of Cork every third year.

Mr. Hardiman, in his History of Galway, mentions a similar procession at Galway. And something similar occurred in the town of Drogheda; but wholly divested of the splendid pomp and display which shed such a lustre on the Dublin pageant.

The ceremony of riding the franchises in the city of Dublin was one so peculiar and remarkable, that it certainly appeared to the author worthy of being handed down as a curious historical record, no similar ceremony of such pomp, circumstance, and pageantry, was known in Britain. There was, no doubt, something extremely oriental in this splendid pageant, which, if the reader will take the trouble to peruse the Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montague, from Adrianople, he will find a striking similarity between the spectacle of riding the Dublin franchises and the grand pageant which takes place when the Grand-Signior leads his army in person. The account is as follows:—

"I took the pains of rising at six in the morning to see the ceremony, which did not, however, begin till eight. The Grand-Signior was at the Seraglio window to see the procession, which passed through the principal streets. It was preceded by an Effendi, mounted on a camel richly furnished, reading aloud the Alcoran, finely bound, laid upon a cushion. He was surrounded by a parcel of boys in white, singing some verses of it, followed by a man dressed in green boughs, representing a clean husbandman sowing seed. After him several reapers with garlands of ears of corn, as Ceres is pictured, with scythes in their hands, seeming to mow. Then a little machine drawn by oxen, in which was a windmill, and boys employed in grinding corn, followed by another machine drawn by buffaloes, carrying an oven and two more boys, one employed in kneading bread, and another in drawing it out of the oven. These boys threw little cakes on both sides among the crowd, and were followed by the whole company of bakers, marching on foot two by two, in their best clothes, with cakes, loaves, pasties, and pies of all sorts, on their heads; and after them two buffoons, or jack-puddings, with their faces and clothes smeared with meal, who diverted the mob with their antic gestures. In the same manner followed all the companies of trade in the empire; the noble sort, such as jewellers, mercers, &c., finely mounted, and many of the pageants that represent their trades perfectly magnificent; among which that of the furriers made one of the best figures, being a large machine, set round with the skins of ermines, foxes, &c., so well stuffed, that the animals seemed to be alive; and followed by music and dancers," &c. Works of Lady Wortley Montague, London, 1805, vol. ii. pp. 181, 182.

The Chief Magistrate of Dublin was formerly called Provost, and the Sheriffs were styled Bailiffs, from the year 1308 until the year 1409, when the title of Mayor was given. In the year 1547 the name of Bailiff was changed into that of Sheriff. And in the year 1665 the title of Mayor was elevated to the rank of Lord Mayor, Sir David Bellingham being the first appointed.—See Harris's History of Dublin, Appendix, pp. 491 to 506.

"The city of Dublin anciently consisted," says Harris, "of twenty corporations, to which five have been in latter times added.

"An ancient custom prevailed for a long time in the city of Dublin, always against the great festivals of the year, to invite the Lord Deputy, the nobility, and other persons of quality and rank, to an entertainment, in which they first diverted them with stage plays, and then regaled them with a splendid banquet. The several corporations also, upon their patron's days, held themselves obliged to the like observances, which were for a long time very strictly kept up and practised.

"Thomas Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the year 1528, was invited to a new play every day in Christmas; Arland Usher being then Mayor, and Francis Herbert and John Squire Bailiffs; wherein the Taylors acted the part of Adam and Eve; the Shoemakers represented the story of Crispin and Crispianus; the Vintners acted Bacchus and his story; the Carpenters that of Joseph and Mary; Vulcan, and what related to him, was acted by the Smiths; and the comedy of Ceres, the goddess of Corn, by the Bakers. Their stage was erected on Hoggin-Green, now called College-Green, and on it the priors of Saint John of Jerusalem, of the blessed Trinity, and of All-Hallows, caused two plays to be acted, the one representing the Passion of our Saviour, and the other the several deaths which the apostles suffered."