Mary
Magdalene buildings and places in Ireland:
First
report
Niall C.E.J. O’Brien
St. Mary of Magdala, otherwise known as St. Mary Magdalene, is a saint more sinned against than sinning. In countries like France, St. Mary Magdalene is at the heart of the community with many churches dedicated to her name. In medieval Ireland and Britain St. Mary Magdalene was most often associated with leper hospitals – places outside of the community and at the edge of society. These places later became known as the Maudlin hospital as a corruption of her name. The district where the hospital was located sometimes took on the name of Maudlin as the name of that district. Some other hospitals were known as “spittal hospitals”. From this you get places called Spittal Field (Kilmallock) or Spittal Hill (Kinsale) or Spiddal, Co.
Image of St. Mary Magdalene with the ointment jar
Clare
Ennis
Within the Franciscan friary at
Ennis is a medieval tomb, erected c.1470, by More ni Brien for her husband
Terence MacMahon. This tomb was moved in 1843 to make room for the Creagh family
tomb. The panels around the medieval tomb show scenes from the life and death
of Christ. One of these panels shows the entombment of Christ. This scene shows
a number of figures like Joseph of Arimathea placing Christ in the tomb. One of
the background figures is St. Mary Magdalene with the ointment jar.[2]
Cork
The leper hospital of St. Mary
Magdalene
Down
Bright
A leper hospital, dedicated to St.
Mary Magdalene, was located at Bright in County Down.[4]
Kingreagh
In the townland of Kingreagh in
County Down there once stood the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene. In the papal
taxation of c.1302 the chapel was valued at 20 shillings and thus paid 2
shillings in tax.[5]
Athenry
The early history of this lazar
house of St. Mary Magdalene is unknown. In 1400 Pope Boniface granted an
indulgence for those who supported the hospital of Athnaracgh
Laois
In May 1491 Thateus Odecrayan, professor of the Order of Franciscans Minor secured a papal letter appointing him next abbot of the Cistercian abbey at Abbeyleix. In June 1491 Thateus petitioned Rome concerning a number of parish churches and chapels in the dioceses of Ossory and Leighlin. Thateus claimed that these churches and chapels were vacant (without recognised incumbents) but occupied by people claiming to be priests. One of these chapels was the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, Stradbally in County
Laois. This chapel was occupied by James Ternes who also held the church of Nuoachmayl (Oughaval, Co. Laois) and the chapel of Corrchroyn (Curraclone, Co. Laois). The total value of the six churches and two chapels was 50 marks.
Kildare
Castledermot
The Magdalene leper hospital at Castledermot has an
unknown early history, like many such institutions. Poverty seems to have taken
over the hospital before 1540 as it appears in the possessions of the priory of
St. John
Clane
There was a leper hospital at Clane, dedicated to St.
Mary Magdalene.[9]
Kildare
There is a reference to the hospital of St. Mary
Magdalene at Kildare in 1307 but few other details are available.[10]
Naas
In 1606 there was recorded twenty acres of lands in
‘the Maudelins’, parish of Naas (value 5 shillings) which belonged to the
chantry priests of St. David’s church in Naas. The name of Maudelins indicates
a medieval hospital dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene.[11]
Kilkenny
Gowran
This Magdalene hospital at Gowran stood some three
hundred yards east of the church. It contrast too many such hospitals, the
Gowran house appears to have had a long existence and was still operating in
1578.[12]
Kilkenny
The St. Mary Magdalene (Maudlin) Leper
Hospital at Kilkenny was one of the
principal leper-houses in Ireland
The affairs of the Magdalene leper hospital were in a
poor state by 1352. The overwhelming work load of the Black Death must have
strained its resources and affected its management. A visitation in 1352 found
the possessions of the hospital were held by people who kept the revenues of
the hospital for their own ends. The visitors were concerned about the souls of
the people who bequeathed these goods to the hospital. The patients received no
comment. Instead the visitors directed that the master of the hospital and a
serjeant of the town distrain rents and rights of the hospital that were found
by an inquisition.[14]
By the time of the Dissolution the hospital was in a
ruinous state. The jurors in January 1541 reported that the old ruined chapel
had no roof and that there was a worthless orchard. A number of dwellings in
the suburbs, owned by the hospital were empty. The disturbed countryside was
reflected in a small roofed castle built for the protection of the lepers. The
hospital’s possessions included 25 acres along with several messuages and
gardens. The total value of the hospital was £9 12 shillings 4 pence.
Two years
later (1543) the sovereign and commonalty of Kilkenny held the hospital which
was known as The House of Lepers.[15]
In St. Canice’s Cathedral there is a tomb of an
unknown woman. Among the saintly figures surrounding the tomb is the
representation of a woman. This figure could be St. Barbara with an object that
looks like a tower. Yet the figure could also be a representation of St. Mary
Magdalene and the object she holds is the box of ointment she had to anoint the
feet of Christ.[16] The
west end panel of the same tomb does show the Magdalene with her box of
ointment.[17]
Thomastown
William Carrigan said that there was a leper hospital
called ‘Modaleen’ about a quarter mile from Thomastown on the road to
Bennettsbridge. From other evidence this would suggest a hospital dedicated to
St. Mary Magdalene.[18]
Church of St. Mary Magdalene at Trim - viewed from the east
Potterton, Medieval Trim, p. 346
The well of St. Mary Magdalene lies
in the parish of Kilmurry to the east of Limerick
city. An Annual pilgrimage is still held there on 22 July, her feast day. The
water is said to cure sore eyes and other complaints.[19]
Louth
Drogheda: Dominican friary
The priory of St. Mary Magdalene was
founded by Luke Netterville, archbishop of Armagh ,
in 1224. Archaeological excavations in 1994 established that the priory was
location outside the northern boundary of Drogheda. A defensive ditch marking
the town boundary was filled in just before the Dominican priory was built.[20]
The friars received royal alms in
1253 and 1285. Wrongdoers took sanctuary in the church in 1300 and 1330. In
1337 three of the friars were found guilty of beating up two of their brethren.
In 1394 four Irish kings came to the friary to make their submission to King
Richard II. The Portiuncula indulgence was granted 1399 for the repair of the
church and chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This was renewed in 1401.
In 1412 a riot broke out between the
townsmen of Drogheda on each side of the river. A complaint was sent to the
king. One of the Dominicans, Philip Bennett, a master of theology, invited both
sides to the collegiate church of St. Peter.
Here he gave such a moving sermon that both sides made peace.
At the parliament of 1468, held in
Drogheda, an act was passed which granted an annual sum to the friary as it had
fallen into decay and poverty through incessant depredations of English and
Irish rebels. The Regular Observance was introduced in 1484. Another indulgence
was granted in 1496 for further repairs under prior Cornelius Gerald. Prior
Peter Lewis surrendered the friary in March 1540.
In survey of the jurors in October
1540 showed that the various grants and indulgences of past times did little
long term good to the fabric of the friary. The church and the dormitory had
fallen into ruins before the dissolution and were of no value. Other
superfluous buildings on the 1½ acre site could be sold. The friary also held
10 acres of land, five messuages and other plots valued at 47 shillings. In
addition there were two vacant messuages of no value.[21]
The leper hospital
of St. Mary Magdalene on the Louth
side of Drogheda had a short early history.
Some authorise say that it was first located at Palmerstown, north of
Termonfeckin and later moved to Drogheda . It
was there, sometime before 1202 that it was acquired by the prior of Duleek.
The lepers and the hospital chaplains were then moved to the house of St.
Laurence where they became part of the Fratres Cruciferi order.[22]
A charter of about 1206 described
the leper hospital of St. Mary Magdalene as beside the bridge of St. Mary
before it was moved to a new site outside the St. Laurence Gate. The canons of
Llanthony Prima, as the priors of Duleek, allowed parishioners of St. Peter’s
at Drogheda to attend the leper chapel at any time except on prescribed feast
days. These days were Easter, Ascension of our Lord, Pentecost, Nativity of St.
John the Baptist, feast of St. Peter, all feasts of St. Mary, All Saints,
Christmas, Circumcision of our Lord, Epiphany and on the day of preparation
before Sunday.
The 1206 deal also contained the
proviso that if Drogheda grew in size and the leper hospital had to move
further out into the country that Llanthony would take care of the chapel and
cemetery. If the leper hospital of St. Mary Magdalene should close the lepers
could dispose of the buildings and lands as if it were their own property.[23]
Dundalk
The early history of this leper
hospital at Dundalk , dedicated to St. Mary
Magdalene, is unknown. It became part of the hospital of St. Leonard Dundalk to Henry Draycott in
1559.[24]
Parsonstown
Sometime between 1194 and 1210
Osbert Butterley granted the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene in the parish of
Parsonstown in the Barony of Ferrard, County Louth to the canons of Llanthony
Prima. Osbert Butterley also attached to the grant nine acres of arable land,
which was formerly held by William Andreas and Richard Refus. Osbert Butterley
further granted to the said chapel the house which William Andreas once held
along with the churchyard and one acre of arable land adjacent to the house.[25]
When the property in Llanthony Prima
was divided c.1211 between Llanthony Prima in Wales and Llanthony Secunda in
Gloucester, the chapel at Parsonstown went to Llanthony Prima. The Parsonstown
chapel remained the property of Llanthony Prima until the dissolution of the
monasteries. When the Archbishop of Armagh visited the chapel in 1544 it still
had a serving chaplain.[26]
Meath
Duleek
There was a leper hospital at Duleek
around 1202. Like many other such hospitals it was dedicated to St. Mary
Magdalene.[27] The
hospital was located near the bridge over the River Nanny.[28] This
hospital gave its name to the bridge which was called Magdalen Bridge.
Affairs did not go well for the
hospital in the fifteenth century. By 1403 it was in the king’s hand and
custody. In that year it was granted along with some gardens formerly owned by
St. Mary of Odder to Thomas Scargyll. In 1419 Henry V granted the hospital
buildings to John Tonour.[29]
In 1459 fourteen acres of land at
Duleek was transferred from the king to Llanthony Secunda to provide finance to
maintain the bridge.[30]
Kells
A leper hospital was founded at
Kells around 1100 or earlier. It was dedicated to the great Irish female saint,
St. Brigid. Oegus mac Gillabain was erenagh of the hospital in about 1117-1122
and was mentioned in a charter of that time. It was possibly after the Norman
Ratoath
Near this town in 1456 was said to
be an abbey dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene which had in around 1385 was seized
of 40 acres of land valued at 6 shillings 8 pence. The Pipe Roll of Richard II
gives it as a house of Augustinians. Yet as others have said, because the
dedication is to Mary Magdalene the house was possibly a hospital maintained by
the regular canons. The nearby parish church was dedicated to St.
Thomas and was attached to the abbey of St.
Thomas in Dublin
Trim
The hospital of St. Mary Magdalene
at Trim is mentioned in 1335 when a payment of 4 shillings was made by the
Hospital. It is said that the Hospital was founded by King John. In June 1375
Thomas Ripperis was appointed warden of the house of St. Mary Magdalene. In
1386 Richard Molys acquired thirty acres of land in ‘the Maudelyins’. In
September 1431 Henry VI granted custody of the hospital to Thomas Clement,
chaplain along with the chantry of the chapel in Trim Castle.[33]
In the fifteenth century it ceased
to function and the property was taken over by the Franciscans. At the
suppression of the monasteries, the Franciscans held an orchard, chapel (in
ruins) and a close in a place called ‘the Maudlins’. Nearby was a field of 22
acres called the ‘Mawdelynsfield’. This was owned by the Franciscans at a value
of 18 shillings.[34]
The ground plan of the church of St.
Mary Magdalene consists of a nave and chancel with a chancel arch between them.
In the chancel area there is a sculpture of a female figure that may well
represent St. Mary Magdalene.[35]
Image from Potterton, Medieval Trim, p. 344
Outside the walls of Waterford city
was a chapel or hospital dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene which was owned by St. Stephen’s
Hospital within the city. It is suggested that the chapel had accommodation for
lepers. By 1661 the chapel/hospital of St. Mary Magdalene was converted into a house occupied by Alderman John Heavens. Canon Patrick Power believed that the site was later occupied by the
Leper Hospital which became the County and City Infirmary.[36]
Wexford
New Ross
In 1587 a hospital in New Ross was
recorded as been ‘recently re-incorporated’. This house was dedicated to the
Holy Trinity and was founded by an ancestor of Sir Patrick Walsh. The original
staff arrangements were for a master with some brethren and sisters. It is
possible that this hospital took over from a medieval hospital in the town that
was dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. A townland in the town called ‘The
Maudlin’ would suggest such a medieval hospital.[37]
Wexford
The leper hospital at Maudlinton was
dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene and was said to be that same hospital founded
by Richard de Clare (Strongbow) before 1175. Another source says it was founded
around 1170 and endowed by the Ferrand family. In 1212 the hospital was
confirmed to the Knights Hospitallers.[38]
In 1408 King Henry IV granted
custody of the hospital to John Rochford.[39]
An inquisition in 1610 found that the
hospital acquired 120 acres of land, tithes, messuages and other property to
the value of 22 shillings in 1389. The hospital was controlled by a master,
keeper or prior and had both brethren and sisters within its walls.[40]
Wicklow
Wicklow
A leper hospital known as the
‘spittal house’ or ‘the Maudlins’ was located at Wicklow in 1578. As in other
examples this house was most probably dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene.[41]
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[1] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
(Dublin
[2] John Hunt, Irish Medieval Figure Sculpture 1200-1600
(Irish University Press, Dublin, 1974), vol. 1, p. 124
[3] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
(Dublin
[4] Michael Potterton, Medieval Trim: History and Archaeology
(Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2005), p. 343
[5] H.S. Sweetman (ed.), Calendar
of Documents relating to Ireland (Kraus reprint, 1974), Vol. 5 (1302-1307),
p. 206
[6] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
(Dublin
[7] Michael J. Haren (ed.), Calendar of entries in the Papal Registers relating to Great Britain and
Ireland (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1978), volume xv, no. 672
[8] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[11] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[12] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[13] Charles McNeill (ed.), Liber
Primus Kilkenniensis (Stationery Office, Dublin, 1931), p. 14; A.J. Otway-Ruthven, Liber Primus Kilkenniensis (Kilkenny, 1961), p. 29
[14] Charles McNeill (ed.), Liber
Primus Kilkenniensis, p. 18; A.J.
Otway-Ruthven, Liber Primus Kilkenniensis,
p. 35
[15] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[18] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[20] Arlene Hogan, The Priory of Llanthony Prima and Secunda in
Ireland, 1172-1541: Lands, patronage and politics (Four Courts Press,
Dublin, 2008), p. 118
[21] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[22] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[24] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[27] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[28] Anngret Simms, ‘The
Geography of Irish Manors: the example of the Llanthony Cells of Duleek and
Colp in County Meath’, in Settlement and
Society in Medieval Ireland: Studies presented to F.X. Martin, edited by
John Bradley (Boethius Press, Kilkenny, 1988), p. 303
[29] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[30] Arlene Hogan, The Priory of Llanthony Prima and Secunda in
Ireland, 1172-1541, p. 102, note 44; P. O’Keeffe and T. Simington, Irish Stone Bridges (Dublin , 1991), p. 111
[32] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[34] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[36] Aubrey Gwynn and R. Neville Hadcock, Medieval religious houses Ireland
[39] http://www.wexfordparish.com/about-the-parish/history/ancient-parishes/saint-magdelens
accessed on 25 April 2014
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