Mysterious Monument

ROSCOMMON’S OLD GOAL or GAOL

By Vincent Delany

SITE FOR THE GAOL AT MARKET SQUARE

1736.

Castle Street

Note the small bell shaped

structure on the Gaol site,

with two windows below,

with a cross or a similar

structure above.

Market Square.

Tree lined Avenue to the Castle

Sessions House

Bell ShapedStructure.

Map: Francis Plunkett map surveyed 1731

THE BELL SHAPED STRUCTUREIs probably the remains of the tower shown on

Sir Nicholas Malby’s map of 1581. It could be the remains of

the 10th cent. Round Tower from St. Coman’s Monastery

Bell shaped mound in 1731 Sir Nicholas Malby Knt.’s Tower 1581 A Round Tower of a 10th cent. Monastery.

Yes, there was a round tower in Roscommon,

it was granted to Sir Nicholas Malby Knt. in 1578.

THE ROUND TOWER OF ST. COMAN’S MONASTERY,

ROSCOMMON

In 1578, Queen Elizabeth 1

granted lands in Roscommon to

Sir Nicholas Malby Knt. including:

One stone church and

a round tower and lands,

granted at a rent of £30 5s. 10d. per year .

(Hoare, 2014).

Right Honourable George Capel-Coningesby commonly

called Lord Viscount Malden, of Hampton Court, Hertfordshire, (He was also 5th Earl of Essex but didn’t like to use that Title.)

and

The Right Honourable Henry Fitzgerald, commonly called Lord Henry Fitzgerald of Carton House, Co. Kildare, later of Boyle Farm, Thames Ditton, Surrey.

and

The Right Honourable Charlotte Fitzgerald, his wife, formerly Charlotte Boyle, spinster of Castle Martyr, Co. Cork.

WHO OWNED

THE TOWN OF ROSCOMMON IN 1793?

Hartfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS/DE/Cp/E….)

THE OWNERS OF THE TOWN BUILT THE GAOL c.1790 AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE. (i.e. out of the rents earned from the town and

surrounding district.)

THEY HAD NO INTEREST IN MANAGING

THE GAOL, SO THEY GRANTED IT TO

THE PEOPLE WHO COULD……..

THE GAOL WAS LEASED TO:

Lord Edward, 2nd Baron Crofton of Mote (1748-1797) Member of Parliament

And

Arthur French of Frenchpark(1764-1820) Member of Parliament

For one shilling sterling,

by even and equal half yearly payments, paid

on first day of May and first day of November.

HARTFORD ARCHIVES AND LOCAL STUDIES HALS/DE/CP/E94/26i

“This indenture made the 9th day of August in the year of our Lord,

of one thousand seven hundred and ninety three,

between the Right Honourable George Capel Coningesby commonly called

Lord Viscount Malden and the Right Honourable Henry Fitzgerald, commonly

called Lord Henry Fitzgerald and The Right Honourable Charlotte, his wife,

late Charlotte Boyle, spinster, of the one part

and Sir Edward Crofton of Moat in the County of Roscommon in the Kingdom

of Ireland and Arthur French of French Park in the said County Esquire of the

other part…..”

CONTRACT TO LEASE THE GAOL 1793

CONTRACT FOR THE GAOL LEASE

“All that piece of ground whereon is lately built a Goalin the Town of Roscommon containing in front onehundred and two feet and in the rere thereof onehundred feet, and from the front to the rear onehundred and thirty feet being twenty nine perches andthree quarters of ground (be the same more or less) asby a map or survey thereof……. Situate lying and being inthe Town of Roscommon…….”

Hartfordshire Archives and Local Studies HALS/DE/Cp/E94/26i.

This beautiful drawing is attached to the lease for the Gaol prepared by Dan Hanlyon October 1789 of the new GOAL of Roscommon.

Note:

1) By-road to the

Lough.

2) Elevation of

door.

3)Dan Hanly’s

signature.

4) Dimensions

written long hand.

5) Interior layout.

6) Area of site is

29¾ perches.

UNDER THE 1793 GAOL WAS FOUND:

Two Irish Half

Pennies dated 1837

and 1847, indicating

that the GAOL was

built after the latter

date, and that the

builders must have

dropped the coins

from their pockets.

1837: Cat.no.E0419:3:114 1847: Cat.no.E0419:3:115

There is no written evidence, whatsoever, to indicate that Richard Cassels (1690-1751) or Castle

was the designer of the Roscommon Goal.Cassels arrived in Ireland in 1728 and died in 1751, long before the Gaol was built c.1793.

The Knight of Glin, the ‘Cassels expert’ acknowledged that:

‘Cassel’s designs in Roscommon consisted of: Strokestown (1729), Frenchpark (1729) and

Mantua (1747), but no other work in Co. Roscommon.’

“Since I reported last on the fate of this Gaol, a considerable improvement has been

effected by obtaining a supply of water, the want of which was severely felt, not only in

the Gaol but in the entire town. By this means the privies which were heretofore

choked with filth are now thoroughly cleaned; a bath is also erected, but which I fear

may be converted into a nuisance , a recepticle for dirt , as is often the case in the

Prisons of Ireland. 105 persons, for having forfeited their recognizances, were

committed to this Gaol last spring assizes, on Greenwax Process, chiefly for not

appearing to prosecute the people called Threshers; They were immediately

discharged by the judge. The Inspector is very regular in the performance of his duty.

65 Prisoners were tried at Both Assizes; 12 were convicted, 2 capitally, who were

executed, 14 Crown Prisoners and 8 Debtors were in custody.”

Official Report on the Condition of the Gaol, Rev. Blakeley, January 1st 1808.

THE FINAL ACT OF THE LAW

“The drop where criminalspaid the forfeit of their livesin front of the Gaol used tobe in full sight of the besthouses of the town.”

GAOL SHUT DOWN c. 1818

‘It was abandoned as a Gaol, not on it’s decay, but for want of sufficient space within its walls. It is however lofty and capatious.’

Isaac Weld 1832

“The old Gaol has been converted into a LunaticAsylum. When I went through it, about 40 patients, maleand female were confined in it….. from the ragingmadman and mad woman, to the drivelling and senselessidiot. There were females in solitary cells, with ironclasps around their bodies, and fastened with chains tothe walls………”

Isaac Weld, The statistical survey of the Co. of Roscommon (1832).

IN USE AS A LUNATIC ASYLUM 1818-1833.

SIDE VIEW OF GAOL 1981

GAOL AS A MARKET HOUSE 1837

‘The Market House, originally the old Gaol, was afterwards used as a lunatic asylum, and since the removal of the patients to the district asylum, has been appropriated to it’s present use.’

Samuel Lewis, A topographical dictionary of Ireland (1837).

IN USE AS A LAZARETTO c. 1830 - c.1840

“Due to the outbreak of Smallpox in the town,

the Roscommon Gaol building

was used to isolate those who

were infected with the disease.”

O’Carroll and Murphy (1978).

TUDOR HOUSE GRANTED FOR LIFE

“Michael Shera, was the last Governor of the Old Gaol,the last Keeper of the Lunatic Asylum and a saddler.

The Earl of Essex in recognition of his service to theCounty, granted him use of Tudor House (the namegiven to the residence in the Gaol building) until hisdeath” (which was in 1871 aged 89).

‘Methodism in Roscommon’ in Bulletin of the Methodist Historical Society of Ireland (2013)

T H E E N D