Excavations in Dublin city centre have uncovered the remains of what was once one of Ireland’s most important medieval monasteries. St Mary’s was a House of Benedictines, followed by Savignac monks and then Cistercians, and it was exceedingly wealthy, with the added bonus of being permitted to claim goods from shipwrecks.
At times, it was quite a troubled place–the mayor of Dublin, Robert de Nottingham attacked it, while the Earl of Ulster was within. The Earl was suspected of aiding Edward Bruce to invade Ireland from Scotland. De Nottingham also suspected collusion from the monks, so he looted and wrecked the abbey.
It had been restored by the 1400’s, and in 1467, the Abbot Walter Champfleur took charge. He was, for a short time (1482-3), the keeper of the Great Seal of Ireland.
The abbey had one notable burial–that of James Butler, 4th earl of Ormond, who had a huge ongoing feud with the Talbot family, in particular Richard Talbot, Archbishop of Dublin, who was the brother of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury; hence Richard was the uncle of Lady Eleanor Talbot, probably the secret wife of Edward IV. The feud eventually subsides and the hatchet was buried with the marriage of Butlers daughter, Elizabeth, to John Talbot’s son, John. He was the father of James Butler, the 5th earl, who was Earl of Wiltshire and a confirmed Lancastrian; however, he was notorious for running away from any battles he was involved in, but in the end his luck ran out, and he was executed after Edward IV’s victory at Towton.
The recent dig has also provided evidence of other burials below the 12th c church, which was likely the earlier foundation built by King Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid in 846.
St Mary’s met its end in the reign of our ‘good friend’ Henry VIII. I think many often forgot that Ireland was also touched by the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Shops and houses and even a synagogue were built on the ruins.
Again, one can only say, sarcastically, ‘Thanks a lot for the vandalism, Henry.’
Link to article with some good photos of the dig:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/remains-100-people-buried-medieval-30420302
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