Kilbride (), or Manor Kilbride, is a village, civil parish and electoral division in County Wicklow, Ireland, located at the western edge of the Wicklow Mountains in the barony of Talbotstown Lower.
Geography Manor Kilbride village is situated in the eponymous townland at the center of the civil parish, occupying a valley formed by the convergence of the Brittas River and the River Liffey, north of Poulaphouca Reservoir. The valley is bounded by Goldenhill, Cromwellstownhill and Cupidstown Hill to the west with Butterhill and Ballyfoyle to the east. The civil parish covers 11,591 statute acres, containing the following townlands:
Townland Acreage Irish name Earliest record of placename or variant Aghfarrell 12 1578 - Agherillin
1605 - Aghferylin Athdown 1089 1530 - Downisfford, Downysforde
1655 - Addoone Ballyfolan 848 1700 - Ballyfolane* Ballyfoyle 433 * 1618 - Ballinfrill Brittas 245 1228 - Bretaschia
1278 -
1260 - Butter Mountain 935 1655 - Butter Mountaine Carrignagower 205 * 1760 - Carrignagower Cloghleagh 700 * 1618 - Inchecloghfea
1655 - Goldenhill 181 * 1760 - Golden-Hill Kilbride 938 1225 - villa Gillebride Ogadereur
1250 - Killbride Kippure 1450 1604 - Kippoore Knockatillane 579 * 1700 - Knockatalane* Knockbane 103 * - Lisheens 373 1700 - the Lesseens* Moanaspick 282 - Scurlocksleap 630 1655 - Scurlocksleape Shankill 1338 1663 - Sankell Tinode 1250 *Price, Liam 1953. The Place-Names of County Wicklow: IV - The Barony of Talbotstown Lower. Dublin. pp. 270-279 1248 - Tachewaur (?) 1540 - Tenaud *National Archives M. 5690. Abstract of title of George Ogle Moore to lands in Manor Kilbride, Co. Wicklow, formerly in the possession of the Allen family.
Much of the parish consists of mountain and blanket bog; the boundaries are formed by the southwest–northeast ridge of Cromwellstownhill and Cupidstown Hill to the west, the Brittas River to the north, the peaks of Seefin (621m), Seefingan (723m) and Kippure (757m) to the northeast, the River Liffey to the southeast and a small stream to southwest. The parish borders counties Kildare and Dublin to the west and north and the Wicklow parishes of Blessington and Calary to the south and east. The N81 road from Dublin to Baltinglass runs southwest through a valley between Cromwellstownhill and Goldenhill, across Moanaspick and Tinode. The R759 road, one of two routes crossing the Wicklow Mountains, runs southeast above the Liffey through Manor Kilbride, Knockatillane, Cloghleagh, Scurlocksleap, Athdown and Kippure.
History
Prehistory A cluster of four cairns of Neolithic or Bronze Age origin and a ringfort are located atop Golden Hill west of the village.Record of Monuments and Places WI005-002, WI001-039, WI001-019 Two enclosures of prehistoric or early medieval date,Record of Monuments and Places WI001-026, WI001-027 and four cairns of Neolithic or Bronze Age date are situated atop the Dowry Hill in Kilbride townland.Record of Monuments and Places WI001-028001, WI001-028002, WI001-040001, WI001-040002 A pit-burial of likely Bronze Age date was excavated in Kilbride townland.RMP WI001-036: WI001-036 Six cairns of likely prehistoric date are located in the eastern half of Cloghleagh and two are located in Ballyfolan.Record of Monuments and Places WI006-001001-6RMP WI001-010; RMP WI001-013 Passage graves are located atop both Seefin and Seefingan. (see: Seefin Passage Tomb)Record of Monuments and Places WI006-003: "Description: Situated on the summit of Seefin Mountain. A circular cairn (diam. 24-6m; H 3m) defined by a contiguous kerb of large boulders partly removed at the E and W, covering a narrow lintelled passage (L 11m). The passage is orientated NE-SW, and opens into a rectangular corbelled chamber (dims. 4m x 1.5m) off which there are five recesses (two at each side and one at the end). Only the end and adjoining recesses are visible; the rest are buried under the collapsed cairn. There are two sidestones in the passage decorated with passage tomb art. Excavated in 1931 (Macalister 1932), it produced no evidence of burials or finds." (Herity 1974, 258; Rynne 1963, 85-6; Shee-Twohig 1981, 222-3)
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research."WI006-004: "Description: Situated on the summit of Seefingan Mountain. Circular cairn (diam. 20m; H 3m) said locally to have contained a 'cave', with a 'tunnel' leading into it (Price and Walshe 1933, 47). Herity (1974, 258) suggests it may be a passage tomb, but no kerb or structures are visible.
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research." All are listed in the Record of Monuments and Places. A polished stone axehead was recovered from the townland of Knockatillane in 1866.
Early medieval Liam Price speculated that the townland and parish name originated from an Early Christian church, located in the townland of Shankill ( - the old church) under the jurisdiction of St. Bridget's Monastery of Kildare.Price, Liam 1953. The Placenames of County Wicklow IV - The Barony of Talbotstown Lower. Dublin. p. 274 Ringforts of likely early medieval date are located atop Golden Hill,Record of Monuments and Places WI001-018: "Description: Situated on a very gentle SW-facing slope c. 200m SW of the summit of Golden Hill. Circular area (diam. 37m) defined by a stony bank (Wth c. 4m; int. H 0.7m) and an external fosse (av. Wth 6m; av. D 0.7m). There is a gap in the bank (Wth 5m) and causeway across the fosse (Wth 6m) at the NE with another causeway (Wth c. 12m) at the SE. There are some large stones in situ in the interior of the site and traces of a boulder revetment at the base of the bank. Possibly a modified prehistoric kerbed cairn. (Price 1934, 46)
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research." below Cloghleagh Church,Record of Monuments and Places WI005-007: "Description: Situated on the SW extremity of a small natural promontory with short steep scarps on the N, S and W sides. An elongated D-shaped enclosure (dims. c. 30m E-W; c. 25m N-S) defined by an earthen bank (H 0.45-0.65m).
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research." and adjacent to the deserted settlement at Lisheens.WI001-008: "Description: Situated on a gentle W-facing slope. Circular enclosure (diam. c. 30m) visible on aerial photograph (CUCAP, API 12) defined by a bank and an external fosse with a possible counterscarp bank at the N and W. The bank and fosse were somewhat flattened along the SE (upslope) where there is a slight indication of an entrance causeway. Removed before 1973 (a possible trace is visible on aerial photographs (GSIAP, O 89-90)). Not visible at ground level.
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research." A perforated stone, found at an earthen fort, adjoining Kilbride Parish Church presented to the Royal Irish Academy in 1866, may have been a quern stone, presumably from the ringfort below Cloghleagh Church. While there are no visible medieval remains in Kilbride village, the townland of Lisheens contains the site of an early medieval watermill.RMP WI001-043: Description: Situated in the western bank of the Brittas River, 200m upstream of Lisheens House. Three worked oak timbers in situ in the river bank at a depth of 1.2m. The basal timber (max. T 0.34m) is square-cut and has a rectangular mortisehole which does not perforate the entire depth of the timber. Resting on top of this is a radially split timber (H 0.28m; Wth 0.14m). The uppermost timber (max. H 0.05m; max. Wth 0.10m) is badly damaged and is unidentifiable from a surface inspection. It does not appear to be in contact with the lower timbers. Two sizeable stones rest on top of the basal timber but their function is unclear. The timbers are in a good state of preservation. (Sullivan 1994)
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Date of upload/revision: 17 December 2008
Anglo-Norman settlement The medieval history of the area is obscure. West Wicklow was densely forested in the medieval period, with the barony of Talbotstown described as Coillacht in the 12th century and the church of Kilbride described as Kylbryde in the Colach in 1291, when the area formed part of the estates of the Archbishop of Dublin.Price 1953, 274Maginn, Christopher 2004, English Marcher Lineages in South Dublin in the Late Middle Ages in Irish Historical Studies, Volume 34, No. 134, pp. 113-136, 116 Despite later references to the manor and lordship of Kilbride, it is unclear if the townland or parish contained a manorial centre; a likely site would be close to the graveyard or in the grounds of Kilbride Manor, but no evidence has been identified.
Kilbride church Price speculated that the graveyard was the site of an Anglo-Norman parish church founded before 1250 and it is listed as a church site in the Record of Monuments and Places. The Catholic church contains a font reputedly from the earlier church.Record of Monuments and Places WI001-022002Record of Monuments and Places WI001-046 An early medieval cross-slab from the graveyard was presented to the National Museum of Ireland in 1970.Record of Monuments and Places WI001-022006; NMI Reg. No. 1970:189 In 1630 the impropriations of Kilteel and Kilbride churches were held by the Alen family of St. Wolstan's and the church and chauncels were described as "very ruinous".Ronan, M.V. 1941, 'Archbishop Bulkeley's Visitation of Dublin in Archivium Hibernicum, Vol. 8 pp. 56-98, p. 80 Foundations of a building, possibly the original church, were identified during the excavation of a grave in the 20th century.Halligan, Elizabeth 2002. Churches: Blessington and Manor Kilbride in Blessington Now and Then. Blessington Local and Family History Society. pp. 32-36, p. 35 A 2009 survey recorded the earliest legible gravestones, from the first decades of the 18th century, clustered around a raised area at the graveyard's centre, possibly the site of the church.Halligan, Janet 2009. Manor Kilbride Graveyard Survey (Blessington History Society).
Athdown Athdown contains the site of a church and graveyard and the site of a possible Anglo-Norman motte; the latter site, removed by quarrying, presumably controlled the fording point across the River Liffey to the southwest, marked on the OS maps.Record of Monuments Places WI006-013Record of Monuments and Places WI006-012 The church and motte site were connected by a lane, also visible on the OS maps. Liam Price speculated the church was the 'Ecclesia de Villa Reysin' noted in the 13th century extent Crede Mihi.Price 1953, 275 Scurlocksleap, an adjacent townland, may preserve the name of an Anglo-Norman landowner.Price 1953, 269, 278
Ballyfolan A possible deserted medieval settlement, two hut sites and three enclosures of uncertain date are located in Ballyfolan.RMP WI001-033 (deserted medieval settlement); RMP WI001-032 (hut site); RMP WI001-015 (hut site); RMP WI002-002 (enclosure); RMP WI002-011 (enclosure); RMP WI002-012 (enclosure); RMP WI002-002 (enclosure).