178 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Acadetni/. 



and others of their places situated in the Marches of Dublin, to the great 

 resistance of the enemies of the King our sovereign lord." [Statute EoUs, 

 Ireland, 1 to 12 Ed. lY (edited by H. F. Berry), pp. 2-38-241.] 



It is unfortunate that what appears to have been one of the most 

 interesting of the mediaeval deeds in the collection is not now forthcoming, 

 and seejns to have disappeared since the deeds were lodged in the 1 ibrary 

 of Trinity College. It was dated 1507, and is described in the short abstract 

 of contents lodged with the deeds as a Letter of Fraternity from the Prior of 

 the Friars Hermits of the Order of St. Augustine in Dublin, granting to 

 John Stacpoll and his wife a participation in the Masses, fasts, and ^ igils of 

 the brotherhood throughout Ireland [no. 149 (146)]. Very little is known of 

 the history of the Irisli branch of this Order, and the missing deed would 

 probably have contributed materiall)- to our knowledge. A deed of 1379 

 gives the name of a Yicar of this same Order [no. 5-4 (54)] ; and the same 

 deed gives the latest contemporary reference to Stephen Derby, Prior of the 

 Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, who seems to liave brought about a 

 literary revival in his Cathedral. It has been renuirked tliat in the time of 

 his immediate predecessors no literary work was done by the Cathedral clergy 

 [Account EoU of the Priory of the Holy Trinity, Dublin 'edited by James 

 Mills), p. xxiv]. But for Prior Stephen Derby was prepared the beautiful 

 illuminated Psalter, now in the Bodleian Library, which has been described 

 as " the most elaborate extant work of Anglo-Norman art in Ireland " ; and 

 his long Priorate covers the period usually assigned to the Liber Niger, 

 preserved in tlie Cathedral, aiul the Martp'ology now in the Library of 

 Trinity College, Dublin. 



Two references are found in these deeds to a family who afterwards 

 became famous, and who for centuries lived in St. John's parish — the family 

 of L'ssher. In 1516 a house in Fishamble Street was leased to Christopher 

 f ssher, who was twice Mayor of Dublin [no. 151 ,149;] ; and eighty years 

 later another house in the same street was leased to another Christo}>her 

 Ussher, who is described as " alias Ulster King at Armes in Ireland " 

 [no. 200 (197)]. This later Christopher was uncle to the great Archbishop 

 James L' ssher ; and, in addition to being L'Ister King at Arms, he was 

 appointed, thougli not in Holy Orders, to be Archdeacon of Cloglier. It was 

 possibly fiom one of the two houses here referred to that there was taken 

 the stone, bearmg the arms of Ussher, which is now set in the wall of 

 no. 3 Lord Edward Street, a few doors fi'om the corner of Fishamble Street. 



The only man of prominent position who appears in these deeds as a 

 churchwarden of St. John's parish is Charles Colthorpe, Queen Elizabeth's 

 Attorney-General in Ireland in 1594, and the lease in which his name 



