Grace's Old Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grace's Old Castle |
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| General information | |
| Location | Graces Old Castle, Parliament St, Kilkenny, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 52°39′15″N 7°15′13″W / 52.654187°N 7.253676°W |
Grace's Old Castle is an old castle building right in the middle of Kilkenny city. It has been made bigger over time and now holds the city's modern courthouse. This courthouse is one of the oldest in all of Ireland.
Contents
The Story of Grace's Old Castle
How the Castle Began
The place where the Kilkenny courthouse stands today was once the site of an older castle. This castle was known as Grace's Old Castle. It was first built by a person named William le Gras sometime before the year 1210. William le Gras was given important jobs for life. He was made the constable and seneschal (a kind of manager) of Leinster. He was also put in charge of Kilkenny.
Over many years, much of the first castle building was changed. But the Grace family kept using it as their private home in the town. In 1566, the owner, James Grace, rented the building to the government. From that time on, it started to be used as a gaol, which is another word for a prison. By 1691, the building was being used as the main prison for the county.
From Prison to Courthouse
The building first became a courthouse in 1792. It was used to hold important court meetings and trials for the county. The Parliament Street Courthouse building itself dates back to 1786. So, from the 1790s, the building was home to the County Courthouse, the County Prison, and the City Prison. Sometimes, the building was also used for plays and public meetings, like elections.
Many people believe that much of the early work to change the building was done by Sir Jerome Fitzpatrick. However, the front of the building you see today was built by an architect named William Robertson in 1824. Even as a courthouse, the building still had seven cells for prisoners. But it was not thought to be a very good modern prison. Still, it worked as the city's holding place for prisoners, called a bridewell, from 1871 until 1946.
In the 1920s, a new room with a wooden ceiling was added to the back of the building. This room was for council meetings. Since then, the building has been updated and changed many times. The most recent updates happened in 2010. Today, the Courthouse holds the Circuit and District Courts. These are important courts where legal cases are heard.
What We Found Underground
In 2008, an archaeological dig happened in the area. An archaeologist named Maedbh Saunderson led this work. They found evidence from the Middle Ages, like old house remains and garden plots. They also found signs of building changes from after the Middle Ages. There was even a burial spot for prisoners and old drainage systems.
Images for kids
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Sir Jerome Fitzpatrick M.D.
