Westropp — Fortified Headlands and Castles, S. Coast Minister. 195 



mistaken to do (as some others have done) and regard all these documents 

 as mere " paper grants," for the grantees as a rule soon turned them to 

 realities. The chief coast settlement of the Normans among the Desi was at 

 Dungarvan ; it was an important harbour for the ancient type of ships, 1 and 

 a " half-way house " between Toughal and Waterford. I propose to follow 

 its main record for a century, and to note the substantial sums of money 

 raised from " Dessia." John seems to have been the first Norman king to 

 turn his attention to Dungarvan ; he built its castle, probably where the 

 round tower of the present fortress stands 2 beside the harbour, in 1204, and 

 established a surrounding manor. At an early period he planted a Geraldine, 

 Gerald, in Dungarvan. 



In August, 1204, Donald Uffield made quit claim to "the king of the 

 province of Dungarvan " of three cantreds, keeping the other two for himself. 3 

 Next year Meyler fitzHenry, who was founding the Abbey of Conall for a 

 colony of monks from Llanthony, endowed it with five burgages at Dun- 

 garvan. A bridge was made (I suppose across the creek, near the present 

 one and the railway), and King John made a direct grant of its tolls to help 

 the burgesses in July, 1215, grauting Thomas fitzAnthony the custody of the 

 castle and the jrrise of wines at the port in the same month. 4 He also then, 

 and in 1217, granted Dungarvan Castle to Maurice FitzGerald, a fine of sixty 

 marks being paid. The grant recites that FitzGerald, having just " been girded 

 with the belt of a knight," should have the lands in Des, of which Gerald, his 

 father, died in possession. 5 Two years later we find an objection lodged by 

 Thomas to anyone having " custody on the king's behalf of the forest of 

 Des," because it had been granted to him. He was called on to produce the 

 charter, but could not do so, and was also deprived, at least for a time, of the 

 castle. An important survey of the mearings of Dessia was made about 1229, 

 when John d'Evreux got the lands there, but (unless Killorzie be Killarisie or 

 Kilfarrissy) no land at any of the forts is named. Numerous grants of lands 

 and accounts of rents in Desi are on record, but superfluous to our study. 



1 It appears on most of the portolan maps ('garva), 1339 ; ('garvein), 1351, 1360, 1367, 

 1436 ; (Dungalvani), 1450, 1513, 1544, 1569, 1593 ; (Dugarva), 1589. The prise of wines 

 in 1276 was for 8 tuns. 



2 The " mote " is round-topped, and had chambers inside. It is too far from the ford 

 and harbour to command them. The fact that it had once a fosse proves nothing, as this 

 is not uncommon even with small sepulchral tumuli. 



3 Cal. Doc. Ir., vol. i, No. 223. 



4 Charter Roll, xvii John, pars 1, mem. 9. See also Irish Roll, " Antiquissimus," 

 exemplifying John's Charter in anno xvii Ed. I. The castle is inseparable from the 

 Crown. 



5 Cal. Doc. Ir., vol. i, No. 793, Close Roll, pars 1, in. 14. 



E.I.A. PKOC, VOL. XXXII., SECT. C. [31] 



