Excavations have been completed at Kevin Street Garda Station, at the corner of Kevin Street and Bride Street. The site, which measured 98m north south by 0.30m east-west, is very important both archaeologically and architecturally, as most of the main Garda building has been identified as the medieval palace of St Sepulchre, built in c. 1184, by Archbishop Cumin, the first Anglo-Norman archbishop in Ireland. The palace was the main the residence of the Archbishop of Dublin throughout the medieval period, and into the 19th century (with some interruptions). It took the form of a fortified castle-like building, built around a quadrangle, which was within a walled precinct. A recent examination by Danielle O’Donovan reveals that a large section of this medieval quadrangle still survives intact, incorporated within the existing buildings (O’Donovan 2003).
The main findings of the excavation suggests that this area, on the eastern side of the main quadrangle, was occupied in the pre-Norman period with evidence of at least one ditch boundary dated to the early 12th century, before the palace was built. By the Anglo-Norman period, however, there was occupation at the southern end of the site, indicated by the remains of rectangular cess and refuse pit, nearly always found associated with domestic dwellings. One of these pits was very unusual in that it contained the remains of a human skull with a dog skeleton to one side. The skull was on what appeared to be a degraded wattle screen on a bedding of stones and the dog was evidently putrefying when dumped in, as a full skeleton was not retrieved. The skull produced evidence of trauma, including possible sword wounds, suggesting he died a violent death, most likely decapitation (pers comm. Jonny Geber). An analysis of the animal bone from the same pit revealed bones from a hen harrier and a sparrow hawk probably from a falconry attached to the palace. A second pit, similarly dated, contained a Dundry stone window jamb, which was carved in a dog tooth and rolls style and dated to c. 1210 (pers. comm.. Mike O’Neill).
The archbishop’s palace was then enclosed by a substantial defensive ditch or moat in the 13th century, which ran parallel to Bride Street and Kevin Street with an entrance onto Bride Street. This ditch was re-cut several times (into the 14th century) but remained a strong and defensive feature for some considerable time. There is some evidence however, to suggest that there was another ditch, possibly earlier in date, lying further east under Bride Street (Bride Street has been widened and the medieval frontage was further east originally). This might have been an original enclosing feature, dated to the late 12th century when the palace was built.
Evidence of habitation occurred in the central area of the site (the northern and southern ends were truncated at this level), defined by posts and a substantial kiln feature, which had a stone build at the base. It was not clear what the kiln was used for but it may have had several phases as fragments of crucibles and copper (suggestive of metal-working) and burnt grain was found in the backfill material. There was evidence of habitation also in the form of two stone-lined cellars within a property boundary, which was presumably associated with a house or houses in this location. This phase of activity was superseded by the construction of an inner ditch, which corresponds roughly with the position of the quadrangle to the west and this may have formed part of the inner courtyard as the main defensive ditch was strengthened at this time also. Eventually, the main ditch had infilled and the area appears rural in character laid out in large plots bounded by ditches but with evidence of intensive habitation at the southern end, where two medieval wells survived, both of which produced numerous sherds of medieval pottery including a complete 13th century jug. The remains of a curving mettled roadway, at the southern end of the site, was probably the original medieval Kevin Street and Bride Street.
The post-medieval horizon was marked by pits and gullies, probably dating to the 17th century and, by the late 17th century, there were at least two large wooden buildings, (which burnt down) built of imported spruce trees, the oak forests of Ireland practically depleted by the English crown by this date. These were probably out-buildings associated with the palace complex. By this date, the eastern side of the precinct had been opened out onto the adjoining roads as there were brick ‘Dutch Billy houses’ constructed along the Bride Street and Kevin Street frontage, built by Dutch immigrants who arrived in Ireland in their thousands in the late 17th century, escaping persecution. Although these were domestic buildings, they still appear to have been associated with the palace or occupied by tenants/servants of the palace. This is suggested by the fact that they produced a fine collection of ceramics indicating the use of sophisticated imported ware most likely to be associated with the archbishop than Dutch immigrants. This collection includes almost complete plates, bowls and chamber pots and two ‘bleeding bowl’, which can be dated to c 1660. The latter was used to collect blood after ‘blood letting’, a prevalent medical practice of the time, which was used for almost every physical ailment.
Three post medieval stone buildings were demolished prior to the start of the archaeological excavations. Complete architectural and photographic surveys were carried out on these buildings prior and during demolition. The largest of the three buildings dated to the early-t0- mid 18th century and during demolition up to one hundred dressed medieval Dundry stones were recovered. This would suggest that most of the stone used in this building was derived from demolition of an earlier medieval building located on or close to the site.
O’Donovan, Danielle, 2003, ‘English patron, English building? The importance of St Sepulchre archiepiscopal palace, Dublin’, in Seán Duffy (ed.) Medieval Dublin IV, 253-78. Dublin
