286 Proceedings of the Royal Irkh Academy. 



quickly on their destruction in France by that monarch's brother-in- 

 law, Philip the Fair), the possessions of their ancient rivals were 

 assigned to the Order of St. John. This brought within the authority 

 of the Prior of Kilmainham the wealthy Commandery of the Templars 

 at Clontarf ; and in other parts of Ireland the following houses, as 

 enumerated by "Ware : — 



1. In County Wexford, the Commandery of Ivilclogan. 



2. In County Carlow, the Commandery of Killergy.^ 



3. In County Louth, the Commandery of Kilsaran. 



4. In County Waterford, the Commanderies of Kilbarry, Kiliure,^ 



and Crook. 



5. In County Tipperary, the Commandery of Clonaul. 



6. In County Sligo, the Commandery of Teach-temple. 



Of these great additions to the endowments of the Knights of St. 

 John, the Commandery of Clontarf was by far the largest, having been 

 to the Templars, by virtue of its close proximity to the capital, what 

 Kilmainham was to their rivals, the most important seat of their Order 

 in Ireland, though not, perhaps, the richest in point of endowments. 

 After its annexation by the Hospitallers its consequence may, perhaps, 

 have declined through its too near neighbourhood to Kilmainham. 

 ^Nevertheless, at the suppression of the Order it was valuable enough 

 to be accepted, with the title of Viscount Clontarf, as sufficient com- 

 pensation to Sir John Eawson, the last Prior of Kilmainham, for the 

 loss of his dignity, precedence, and emoluments. ^ 



Though I have no intention of adding to the intricacies of the story 

 of the Knights Hospitallers in Ireland the even more embarrassing 

 perplexities of the history of their rivals in this country, it is 



^ Killergy and Killure appear, however, to have been original foundations of 

 the Hospital, and not to have belonged to the Templars. See Appendix I., 

 pp. 307, 314, infra. 



2 The Charter of Henry II to the Knights Templars, in respect of his Irish 

 grants to that Order, Avas put in evidence in the year 1287, in proceedings taken by 

 the Abbot of Dunbrody against the Master of the Templars in Ireland, when its 

 contents were recorded in the following terms : — 



" Henry, King of England, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and Earl of 

 Anjou, to Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Earls, Earons, Justices, Sheriffs, and 

 the "King's ministers and lieges, Frank, English, and Irish, of all this land. Grant 

 to the Brothers of the Temple to defend the Holy Land of Jerusalem, of mills on 

 the water near Waterford, which water is called Polwaterfoure, mills on the 

 water near Waterford, which water is called Innermictam ; a vill near Dublin 

 called Clenmthorp, with its appurtenances; Crook with 10 carucates of land; the 

 vill near Wateiford whose church is dedicated to St. Barry ; a small marsh 



