Page created 29 March 2004

[Continuation from Sections 1 & 2 ]

3.1 HISTORY AND SETTING OF ROTHE HOUSE
Rothe House is situated in a prominent position in the city of Kilkenny, facing onto Parliament Street. The limestone structure of this townhouse is much altered; in its current form, it has been restored to its original late Tudor design, with the removal of many later structures/annexes. The house is essentially 'E'-shaped in plan and is composed of three 3-storied houses with courtyards linked by a series of buildings on the northern side. The house is situated at the north-east end of the medieval burgage plot which runs from Parliament Street to the medieval city wall; the plot is 12-15m wide and 126m long and lies on a slope running down to Parliament Street. The plot is oriented north-east to south-west, with Parliament Street at the north-east end.

3.1.1 BRIEF HISTORY OF KILKENNY
Popularly known as the 'Capital of Medieval Ireland', Kilkenny was already the most important inland town in south-east Ireland by the time the Anglo-Normans arrived. From the mid 9th century through to the 10th and 11th centuries, Cerball Mac Dúnlainge (King of Leinster) and his successors, the Mac Gilla Patraics (Bradley, 2000); consolidated the growth of their power. By the 12th century, they had a residence in Kilkenny in which they held court.
In 1169, the Anglo-Normans under their leader Richard Fitz Herbert de Clare (Strongbow) built a fort on a knoll on the west bank of the River Nore (the site of the present castle) and south of the existing settlement. This reflected the strategic importance of the crossing of the River Nore and established the importance of Kilkenny, which was reinforced by subsequent inhabitants of the castle.
William Marshall is credited with building the oldest parts of the castle in 1192. In the late 1300s, the Butler family, the Earls of Ormonde (later the Dukes), took over the castle and ruled for over 400 years, recovering from a temporary decline after Cromwell's arrival in 1650. Following the Anglo-Norman invasion, the construction of 'Hightown' was commenced and gradually assumed the name of Kilkenny, while the original Cill Chainnigh became lrishtown' (Hughes, for the Heritage).
In the medieval period, the street upon which Rothe House stands is thought to have formed the northern end of High Street (Bradley, 2000). At the beginning of the 13th century, this area of unoccupied land belonged to the Church and was held in trust by Bishop de Rous. The colonists of the period applied to the Earl Marshall who in turn applied to the bishop for permission to construct buildings over this area in order to accommodate the growing population. Between 1202-18, it is thought that this street was added to Hightown (De Loughrey, 1976), although Bradley dates the development of this area to between 1207-31. This would suggest that High Street ran straight through the centre of Kilkenny from one end to the other, joining Hightown and Irishtown (Hughes, forthcoming). In plan, the town appears to have developed in a linear manner along the length of the street. The burgage plots were also laid out at this point, with the majority of the plots fronting onto High Street, and those on the western side running back to the city walls. The plots on the eastern side ran either to the banks of the River Nore or to St Kieran's Street, also 'King Street', or 'Back Lane' on Rocque's map of 1758.
By 1383-84, the plot which would later contain Rothe House became the burgage and townhouse of the Cistercian Abbots of Duiske Abbey, Graiguenamanagh (Bradley, 2000). The abbey's lands were later forfeited under Henry VIII and granted to the Rothe family.
The city walls were begun c. 1400, and presumably the stretch which underlies the rear boundary wall of the plot was built around 1400-25. By this time, the development of Kilkenny, and specifically of Irishtown, was well advanced.
The lanes on either side of Rothe House may have been developed when it was realised that the burgage plots were too narrow to allow for commercially useful access along the length of the plots; nor did they permit any light into any structures beyond the front facade (Bradley, 2000). There is a marked regularity of layout of burgage plots in much of Kilkenny. The Rothe House plot corresponds to 3 perches in width (1 perch = approx. 5.5 yards). Plots of this width, interspersed with narrow lanes giving access to the back-of-plots, may be seen on the 1841 OS map on which most of the medieval layout is still legible. The pattern is for a 'wide' plot of 3 perches to be flanked by either narrow plots (of 1.5 perches) or lanes, or for two narrow plots to be flanked by lanes. It is hypothesised that the creation of the narrow plots, with very small individual holdings to which access was gained from the lanes, allowed for many more ('working class' free tenants) families to be accommodated within the town.
To the south of the house, Evan's Lane runs from Parliament Street to the line of the western city wall. Rocque's map of 1758 shows it as 'Upper Evans's Lane' running to the city wall where there appears to be an extant tower and possibly a gap or postern. The lane then turns south following the line of the city wall until it joins St James Street. The 1841 map shows it simply as 'Evans' Lane' terminating at the city wall. The 1842 map shows a slight variation in 'Evans's Lane', although the route remained unchanged. By 1900, it had acquired its present name, 'Evan's Lane'.
New Buildings Lane runs to the north of Rothe House, heading west from Parliament Street until it meets Blackmill Street to the west. The lane may have been named From John Rothe's new building, Third House, in Rothe House Yard' (De Loughrey, 1976). Rocque's map of 1758 (Figure 5) shows it as 'New Row', running through a breach in the city wall, at which point it is no longer discernible as a route. By 1786, it was renamed 'New Buildings', a name which coincides with the construction of New Building house between 1759 and 1772 (Murtagh, 1998). The 1841 map shows the addition of 'Lane' to its name, although following its modern day course. In 1859, it was referred to as 'Newbuilding Place'. Twelve years later, the 1871 map shows that the name had reverted to 'New Buildings Lane'.
Late medieval Kilkenny was a thriving economic centre with established and extensive trading links with continental Europe. Its commerce was based on the export of timber, stone and agricultural goods, and the import of silk, damask, spices and wine. The elite middle class of Catholic merchants which had grown in the town had entrenched itself within the fabric of its civic and social strata. They maintained a monopoly over the civic offices -Magistrates, Sovereigns, Mayors and Sheriffs - to the extent that a member of the Rothe family was sovereign on eighteen occasions between 1440 and 1544; the Archers held the position sixteen times between 1434 and 1544, while the Shees were sovereigns on seven occasions between 1493 and 1544 (Bradley, 2000).
This class had begun to emerge in the late 15th century and on the whole consisted of ten to 15 families (Bradley, 2000) who maintained overall control over the city and its immediate hinterland until 1650. They consolidated their links with each other through intermarriage and maintained their position and wealth through owning land and engaging in commerce. The majority of these families were of Anglo-Norman descent with at least one relative in Holy Orders who had studied on the continent in France, Italy or Spain. The dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s provided them with a golden opportunity to increase their holdings.
As a result of its connections with the continent, Kilkenny's merchant class became increasingly aware of the Renaissance which was sweeping Europe. Some of its ideas may have filtered through to such 'enlightened' communities (although with some delay: for example, the effigies in St Canice's Cathedral are c. 150 years later than their continental counterparts). Although the somewhat stark nature of the houses of this period belies this resurgence, Rothe House demonstrates a slight fancy in the panelled piers of the arcade.
Kilkenny's merchants lived in great comfort - if not in the style of their houses, then certainly within the context of their homes. The will of John Rothe records the opulence of the possessions he bequeathed to his family. Included amongst the domestic furniture were '... all my drawing tables, bedsteads, cupboards, livery cupboards, virginals, wainscot, ioynt-stools, chairs, my great cipresse chest and cipresse counter... my pewter, brass, batry, iron beddings of feathers and flocks'. Rothe also mentions a tapestry coverlet 'sey greene hangings or curtyns of both my best bedsteads, in addition to plate, diaper, Holland and linen'. Indeed his will provides 'an almost unique insight into the living conditions of the wealthy urban middle class' (Bradley, 2000).
In 1642, a legislative assembly was held in Kilkenny - the 'Confederation of Kilkenny'. The Confederation was a provisional government set up by the Catholic Anglo-Irish and Irish to defend the Catholic faith and the rights of Charles I in the troubles between the king and parliament. The Confederation consisted of a General Assembly, an Ecclesiastical Assembly and a Supreme Council. The meetings of its three limbs were held in three different locations: the Supreme Council met at the castle, the General Assembly met at a site on Parliament Street, and some of the Ecclesiastical Assembly meetings are thought to have been held at Rothe House.
The Confederation was dissolved in 1648. In 1649, the execution of Charles I concluded the matter and in 1650, Kilkenny was besieged by Cromwell for a week before its ultimate surrender. In 1654, an order to clear Kilkenny was issued, with the citizens to be 'transplanted' to Connaught. A Civil Survey was then undertaken with a view to reallocating properties to those who had supported the 'right' cause. In terms of Kilkenny's and certainly Ireland's history, the impact of this transplantation of the merchant class came to be viewed as a ruthless stratagem calculated to destroy 'an educated and progressive class' (De Breffny & Ffolliott, 1975). The result of this tactic 'was a severe cultural setback to Ireland severing ... many valuable links with the continent' (De Breffny & Ffolliott, 1975). On a wider stage, it also contributed to the decline of Kilkenny's importance.
At the same time, the 1654 Civil Survey records a distinction between the two ends of High Street by referring, for the first time, to its northern end as 'North Quarter'. At some time between 1202 and 1654, the northern end of the High Street, from Watergate to its junction with St Kieran's Street (and the rest of the High Street), was renamed. The reason for this is unknown. In 1662, the Duke of Ormonde was granted most of the housing stock in Irishtown and Hightown. Although the grant was disputed by the Corporation, the matter was settled in his favour in 1676.

3.1.2 HISTORY OF THE ROTHE FAMILY AND ROTHE HOUSE
John Rothe Fitz-piers (mid 1500s-1620), a merchant and a major Kilkenny landowner, built the townhouse complex now called Rothe House in the period between 1594 and 1610. The Rothe family probably came to Kilkenny from Wales at some time in. the 15th century; in origin they were Flemish (Healy, 1893). The Rothes were one of the main wealthy and influential families to hold numerous civic offices in Kilkenny. John Rothe married Rose Archer, the daughter of another of the merchant class families, and in 1594, he set about constructing his first stone house. The impetus to build a prestigious city-centre dwelling would have been strong, providing Rothe with a venue for displaying his personal wealth and possibly his wares, as the ground floor street front is thought to have comprised a shop front.
Rothe is thought to have started in business in St Kieran's Street and is documented as an importer of silks, damasks and velvets.
The first house and its courtyard were built in 1594. A shield bearing his coat of arms - an oak tree and a deer; with the arrow points of his Archer wife - are still extant over the entrance archway.
In c. 1604, behind the first house and to the rear of the first courtyard, Rothe built a second house with a further (second) courtyard. It is likely that practical issues may have governed the construction of the second house, as Rothe had twelve children. Within the second courtyard, he also constructed a well which can be dated to 1604 by a carved stone wellhead. A cistern and a mill were also erected in this courtyard. The houses were linked via a series of service rooms called 'outscales' along the northern side of the first courtyard.
It is thought that the third house and its courtyard had been constructed by c. 1610, as recorded in a damaged slab inserted in a wall near the well in the second courtyard. This building housed the great kitchen, the bakery, the brew house, storage rooms, and sleeping quarters for the servants.
The burgage plot was completed by a garden to the west of the courtyard of the third house. Presumably, the steepness of the plot led to the construction of steps leading up to the garden, which lies today almost at the first-floor level of the third house. This area to the rear of the houses is also thought to have contained orchards, a dovecote and a 'castle' (possibly a mural tower) on the western side.
In 1609, when Kilkenny received its charter as a free city and county from King James I, John Rothe Fitz-piers was one of its first aldermen. He was subsequently elected mayor of the city in 1613.
In 1610, Peter Rothe (1590-1654), John and Rose's eldest son, took over the first house upon his marriage to Lettice Lawless. He may also have taken over the running of the business. John and the rest of the family presumably moved into the second house, although all of them shared the facilities of the well, mill, the kitchen and other amenities located in the third house. This situation may not have been ideal, however; as Rose is believed to have had a separate kitchen closer to the second house. In addition, John made great efforts in his will (written in 1619, the year before he died) to ensure that his wife would still have rights and access to various parts of the houses upon his demise. The will provides an invaluable inventory of the contents of the houses and the plot, information which may prove useful in attempts to understand or re-create the houses.
Although Peter inherited the majority of the estate upon his father's death, John was also generous in providing for the future of his wife and the remainder of his eleven children, and certainly for the aspirations of his other sons. Nothing is known of Rose's life after John's death. By 1612, John had erected a chapel in St Mary's churchyard, along with a tombstone for himself and his wife. However; when the grave was opened two hundred years after his demise, the remains of only one individual were discovered.
Peter was as civic minded as his father and was returned as an MP for Kilkenny City in 1639. In the 1640s, the Confederation of Kilkenny was held in Kilkenny (see above). Peter was a supporter of the confederate cause and a member of the General Assembly. He entertained the notable figures of the day in Rothe House and used it as a meeting place for the Assembly of Bishops on several occasions. One of the prominent ecclesiastics of the time was a distant cousin, David Rothe, Bishop of Ossory; tradition dictates that this was the house in which the bishops met and walked in the orchards (Lanigan, c. 1980s). When the Confederation collapsed with the advent of the Commonwealth, its supporters were dispossessed. A Confederate banner was later found in an oak-panelled partition in House 2 (Lanigan, 1967).
Like many of the rich merchants of the time, it is thought that Peter's properties were also confiscated, and in 1653, he and his household were removed to Connaught. A year later, Peter died. His place of burial is unknown. Since there is a discrepancy in the historical records for this period, it is unclear whether Peter was actually removed from Kilkenny. The Civil Survey of Kilkenny City in 1654 shows one 'Peirce Rooth fitz John' as the owner of Rothe House.
It is thought that the powerful Ormonde Butler family exerted their influence during the Restoration of Charles II to return Rothe House to the family. As Peter had no surviving male heirs, Rothe House was restored to his eldest daughter, Rose. Rose married Richard Shee Fitz Marcus. Their son Marcus Shee of Walsheshays (Sheestown) is known to have been in possession of the house in 1690. However; he was outlawed as a Jacobite in 1691. There is some debate as to whether Rothe House was confiscated by the State, as there is evidence to suggest that Marcus managed to retain his other properties.
It is unclear exactly when or how the Rothes lost possession of the house or what happened to the family themselves. The new owner of the property, together with a large part of the city, was the Duke of Ormonde (O'Dwyer; 1994). The Duke leased the property, but it is unclear whether the whole site was let as one entity or whether various segments were individually leased. It is conceivable that the latter may have been true, given the size of the plot and the relative ease in which the property could be broken up. O'Dwyer (1994) has shown that, in 1701, the house was leased to Abel Butler for 'lives renewable forever'. This was later turned into a 'fee farm grant', effectively implying ownership by the Butlers. A lease dating to 1727 shows the house being let by Thomas Butler of Kilkenny to a William Johnson of Finglas for a sum of £200.
In approximately 1720, the name 'Coal Market' replaced 'North Quarter' on leases (O'Dwyer; 1994). It was named thus because 'it became the public mart for the sale of coal brought in from the Castlecomer mines' (De Loughrey, 1976). Maps of 1733, 1786 and 1841 all show it as 'Coal Market'. In 186o, it was renamed 'Parliament Street' after the Confederate Parliament of 1641-48. (Lanigan and Tyler, 1977).
There are few details about the house, its use and its occupiers/owners from 1725 to 1808. The information available suggests that the house suffered a decline in status (whether a rapid or a steady decline is unknown), but the garden and orchard were still in existence as recorded in a lease of 1727 (KAS, 1999).
In 1808, some of the rooms in the second house were being used as a private school run by the schoolmaster; George Buchanan. Two early 19th-century novelists, Michael and John Banim, attended the school c. 1803-10. John Banim later used a description of Rothe House in the novel Father Connell (published 1842). He wrote about the dark oak wainscoting and the beautiful plasterwork of the ceiling of the second house, noting that some of this was beginning to fall and thus implying that the condition of the house, certainly internally, was deteriorating. Banim also referred to a 'sharply arched door; which led to an elevated garden'.
A lease of 1811. states that Mary Butler, a widow from Pottlerath, had originally leased the property to Buchanan and that she was then in the process of granting a 19-year lease to Andrew Wolfe, from whom the 19th-century name for the house - 'Wolf's Arch' – derives. The house continued as a school until the late 19th century, by the end of which the second and third houses were roofless ruins. The area to the rear of the houses, formerly the garden and orchard, was at this time divided into two gardens and leased separately (KAS, 1999).
In 1830, the Ormonde rent book shows that the front part of the house (presumably the first house) was occupied by Ester Westerman (O'Dwyer; 1994). In 1843, the Willoughbys were in possession of the house. In a marriage settlement between the Willoughby and Preston families, the property was half assigned to the bride's father, Richard Preston, to be held in trust for the newlyweds - Susanna Preston and William Willoughby. It was one of the WiIloughbys who erected the shop front on either side of the arch (De Loughrey, 1976), but the date of this event is unclear.
In the Proceedings and Transactions of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Archaeological Society for 1854-55, Richard Preston is recorded as having taken down and repaired the chimneys of Rothe House at his own expense as they were in a dilapidated and dangerous condition.
O'Dwyer's (1994) analysis of the Primary Valuation records from the 1850s onwards shows that segments of the house and cellars were being sub-leased to numerous tenants. The valuation records dealt separately with the front and the back of the house, the front being dealt with as three separate properties, numbers 36, 37 and 38 Coal Market (Figure 13).
A report to the Kilkenny Sanitary Authority in 1884 records that Rothe House was declared 'unfit for human habitation' (James, 1884) as the site was in a 'filthy and dangerous condition': the courtyards were used as piggeries, with no facilities for sewerage or drainage of human or pig waste.
By 1896-7, the Willoughby family had 'conveyed and assigned to Timothy O'Hanrahan houses and premises at Wolfe's Arch' (O'Dwyer; 1994). A solicitor; businessman and antiquarian (Bolguidhir; 1992), O'Hanrahan undertook the first programme of repairs and restoration works and is thought to have restored the second house. He was also a Gaelic enthusiast and established the Kilkenny branch of the Gaelic League. Once the second house had been restored in 1899, the League met in Rothe House where 'classes were held in the New Rooms in Wolf's Arch' (Bolguidhir; 1992).
For a short period of time, the former Kilkenny Archaeological Society (later the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland) exhibited their artefact collection in the house; this was later removed to the National Museum, Dublin.
The 1901 Census of Population Returns for Parliament Street West Side and Wolf's Arch were returned separately. The latter; Wolfs Arch, showed a nil return, indicating that it was uninhabited. The return for Parliament Street West Side showed that two unmarried individuals, O'Hanrahan and Michael McGrath, inhabited the property. Professionally, O'Hanrahan is listed as a bacon merchant and magistrate, McGrath as a clerk in a provisions shop. On the return for 'Out-Offices and Farm-Steadings', 14 outbuildings were listed: 5 stables, 1 coach house, 1 piggery, 1 boiling house, 1 turf house, 1 potato house, 1 workshop and 3 stores.
The 1911 Census shows nil returns for both Parliament Street West Side and Wolf's Arch showing that the property was completely uninhabited at this time.
In 1962, O'Hanrahan sold the site jointly to the (new) Kilkenny Archaeological Society and a Mr Brennan for the sum of IR£4,500. Brennan operated a butcher's shop at the northern end of what is now the museum entrance and shop of House 1. The Kilkenny Archaeological Society began a programme of restoration, and officially opened the museum to the public in 1966. In 1980, the Society became the sole owners of Rothe House. By 1996, they had, with financial assistance from the EC, completed the restoration of the third house which had lain 'in complete ruin' (Hughes, 2000).

3.2 ROTHE HOUSE: ARCHITECTURE, STRUCTURES AND CONSERVATION

3.2.1 THE SITE BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION OF JOHN ROTHE'S FIRST HOUSE IN 1594
Documentary evidence suggests that there may have been structures on the Rothe House site prior to 1594. A request in 1202-18 for the extension of High Street for the construction of houses suggests that it did not remain a greenfield site for the c. 150 years prior to 1383-84 when it was acquired by the abbots of Duiske Abbey for their townhouse.
The city wall was probably built c. 1400-25, but the date of the construction of the rest of the stone wall at present enclosing the burgage plot is unknown. An archaeological survey and analysis of the extant sections of wall should provide information on construction dates and the sequence of building. It is likely that sections of the walls pre-date the building of Rothe House, which would mean that the enclosing walls (or part of them) are the most ancient structure on the site.

3.2.2 HOUSE 1
John Rothe was already a wealthy merchant when he built his first house on the burgage plot fronting 'High Street', now Parliament Street. He and his wife Rose Archer had 12 children. Their first son, Peter; was born in 1590. Others had been born by the time construction of the house commenced in 1594. The proposed house, therefore, had to provide accommodation for Rothe's business needs as a merchant, as well as for the domestic needs of a growing family and servants.
The extent and nature of John Rothe's trading as a merchant is unknown; we only know that he was importing fine cloth. Secure storage for goods would have been required, with a business space facing onto the street, and a fine room or hall for social or business entertainment and discussion. The requirements of the family would have included accommodation for sleeping, eating, cooking, washing and sanitary facilities, as well as a convenient source of water. Access to the rear of the plot would have been required. So how did House 1 accommodate this brief?

FIGURE 15: Layout of House 1 with suggested former uses in blue

Referring to Figure 15 which shows the building in its present configuration, we can see the following:

• Basement Level - Cellars occupy the entire area.
• Ground Floor Level - An arcade, with access from both street and house, forms the frontage of the ground floor.
• The space or spaces behind the arcade form the remainder of the ground floor.
• First Floor Level - One large space occupies the entire area.
• Second Floor Level - One large space occupies the entire area.

The original sub-division of the spaces is not yet known. The covered passage from street level to Courtyard 1 at the rear of the property may or may not have formed part of the primary construction (an archaeological survey could confirm the sequence). Stair access may have been provided internally and/or externally. However the basement, ground floor and first floor accommodation would appear to fulfil the requirements of John Rothe's business needs for secure storage, a shop/trading area and a fine room or hall for entertaining guests.
The second floor must therefore have accommodated the needs of the family, of say four children (and possibly servants). Facilities for cooking, washing and sanitary arrangements would have been located a short distance from the house.
It is also possible that John Rothe built the first house for his business, while keeping his family in their previous accommodation in St Kieran's Street.
Externally, the house would have looked very different from what we see today. The stonework would have been rendered for protection against the elements and finished with, at the very least, a lime wash. Polychrome patterns or pictorial imagery, possibly advertising John R6the's business, might have decorated the exterior. Rainwater disposal would have been provided by stone gutters and chutes discharging rainwater over the pavement (probably flagged). These rainwater features no longer exist on the Parliament Street frontage of the building.
Windows would have had leaded lights with small panes directly glazed to the masonry and tied to ferramenta set into the stone window reveals. Opening lights would have been formed with simple wrought iron frames. Internally, it is known that at least some of the walls were panelled and the ceilings lavishly plastered. Rooms would have been opulently furnished in the fashion of the time to indicate the social and community status of John Rothe. His will confirms the richness of his possessions.
House 1, as it is today, results from restorations by Percy Le Clerc of the OPW in the 1960s.

2.3 HOUSE 2
The building of House 2 must have followed quickly after House 1. It is possible that its construction formed part of John Rothe's original plan due to the limited space available for family and servant use in House 1.
It is likely that access to the rear of the plot was not limited to the covered passage of House 1 during the construction phase. It is unlikely that Rothe would have wanted the area in front of his new business premises to be disturbed by the clamour and clutter associated with the construction of the new house. An alternative access is likely to have been through the north boundary, from what is now New Buildings Lane (B. Murtagh has recorded an archway here).
If the maps are to be believed, House 2, comprising two floors and an attic, appears to have been built against the south wall of the plot, extending to within a few metres of the northern boundary (Rocque map 1758). An open space was created between the outscale of houses I and 2, but the northern gable of House 2 overlapped the western gable of the outscale (see Appendix 2 for evidence and arguments in detail), thus necessitating the incorporation of the second arched passage into the design of House 2. However; Rocque and subsequent maps show this un-occupied 'elI' as an open passage; without archaeological investigations, the discrepancy cannot be resolved. The height of the building was considerably lower than the present house, as indicated by the position of the stone chute on the south of the south wall.
Original building materials and finishes are likely to have been similar to those of House 1, given the short gap (if any) between the building sequences.
The original internal subdivision of space is unknown, but is likely to have followed a traditional pattern. The ground floor was probably used as a hall/parlour if the kitchen, washing and sanitary facilities provided for the first house continued in use. The upper floors, accessed by internal stairs (probably near the present circular stairs), would have provided chambers for the family and possibly a small retinue of live-in servants.
In 1604, a well was sunk to the west of House 2 adjacent to the south boundary.
By 1758, outshots from House 1 extended along the north boundary past the east wall of House 2, possibly as part of the original construction of House 1 (cf. report by B. Murtagh in Appendix 2).
By 1841, the outshots against the north boundary had been further extended to the west beyond House 3 where a wall encloses the garden area. The outshot is shown returning southwards against this east-facing wall. A staircase within this building would solve the access problem to the gardens at the present high level. The enclosure walls of the burgage plot and the east/west wall may be coeval. An archaeological survey and analysis should confirm the construction sequence. It is likely that these outshots were re-designed to form a link between the two houses at some time in the intervening 80 years, between 1758 and 1841.
The second house as seen today results from the restoration by Timothy O'Hanrahan at the end of the 19th century.

3.2.4 HOUSE 3
John Rothe's businesses flourished during the period of the move to House 2. The size of his family also increased to four boys and eight girls. Both the business premises and the domestic accommodation must have been stretched to capacity and another house was required. Rocque's map of 1758 records this house sited to the west of the well. It was 'T'-shaped, freestanding and centred on the width of the plot with a clear space between the house and both the north and south boundary walls. The house is shown looking onto the garden without an intervening courtyard or wall; Again, this does not accord with the visible structure which clearly abuts both north and south curtilage walls.
The building recorded by Rocque, located at the rear of the site and abutting the city wall, may be the 1615 castle and pigeon house referred to in Rothe's will (Bradley, 2000, p.25). The house continued to be recorded with a 'T'-shaped footprint on OS maps up to 1900.
House 3 was completed by 1610 and is recorded in John Rothe's will (1619) as being 'his new house'. The building is recorded as having housed the great kitchen, the bakery, the brew house, storage rooms and sleeping quarters for the servants. This suggests a purpose-built house which serviced the needs of the re-organised family accommodation.
In the year in which House 3 was completed, the Rothes' eldest son Peter and his wife took over House 1. This suggests that the rest of the family was accommodated in House 2, and possibly in the outshot of House 1 as well. John's wife, Rose, is believed to have had a separate kitchen closer to House 2 than the newly built great kitchen. This kitchen could be the original kitchen built to serve House 1.
More research is needed to assess the architecture of House 3. As with House 2, the building materials and the external shell would have been similar to houses 1 and 2. The internal finishes would have been less grand and in keeping with a service building. It is likely that the internal walls were plastered and lime-washed on a regular basis for hygienic purposes.
The configuration of the original house is likely to have had two floors and an attic. The ground floor of the main structure accommodated the great fireplace and bread oven; a parlour may have been partitioned off at the opposite end of the room. The brew house may have been accommodated in the short leg of the 'T' on the western side of the house. Although this would have placed it at a distance from the well, it could have been supplied by piping water directly from the cistern. External staircases and an internal stair or ladder to the first floor and attic would have provided access to the servants' quarters and storage rooms. The sub-division and arrangement of the servants' quarters and storage rooms is unknown; further research from similar sites might inform this.
It has been suggested that the interesting 'chutes' adjacent to the great chimney on the south side, which rise above an open 'pit' at ground level, may have been garderobes. This seems unlikely as garderobes would not have been installed up-hill from, or close to, a well.

3.2.5 THE GARDEN
Evidence from maps suggests that the garden had been easily accessible from all three houses for several centuries up to1900.
The extent of the original garden appears to have remained unchanged and unaltered to the present day, albeit built upon and surfaced with concrete.
The enclosing boundary walls have suffered extensive damage caused by decay through lack of maintenance and by deliberate demolition. The sense of enclosure within the garden area has also suffered from unsympathetic adjoining developments, particularly those closely overlooking the site. There are no above-ground remains of the original or any garden.

3.2.6 THE CONSERVATION RESTORATION PROCESS – 1890s, 1960s AND 1990s
Each of the three houses has been thoroughly restored on at least one occasion. House 1 was extensively restored and repaired in the 1960s under the direction of Percy Le Clerc of the OPW. Documentation and photographic records relating to this work are held by Duchas The Heritage Service. This restoration included the re-instatement or replacement of the first and attic floor structures in their original locations (no information has yet been found on restorations prior to the 1960s). The roof may have been replaced to match the previous/original structure. The roof coverings were replaced in slate. Stone rainwater channels were replaced with copper parapet gutters. Pointing and bedding of stone were undertaken in Portland cement-based mortar. External stonework was left exposed. An oriel window was rebuilt at first-floor level on the east elevation facing Parliament Street. Leaded lights were renewed in the mid 17th-century fashion with rectangular glass panes.
Internally, some concrete reinforcing was undertaken in the north cellar. The floor of the 'shop' at ground level on the south side was raised and replaced with a concrete slab. The original ground floors were probably of timber; based on a similar building at 21 Parliament Street (P Manning pers. comm.), rather than of stone vaulting (note, however; the stone-vaulted cellars of Kyteler's Inn, restored by CoIm O'Cochlain). Plaster was removed generally from internal walls and the exposed masonry was painted. The undersides of the replacement floor structures were left un-ceiled.
House 2 was extensively restored and may have been extended laterally and vertically in the 1890s by Timothy O'Hanrahan (see Appendix 2) Repairs and construction methods were undertaken traditionally with lime-based mortars, plasters and renders - bricks were introduced as walling material, particularly as relieving arches, window reveals and the reconstruction (or construction) of chimneys. The external walls were surfaced with lime-based render; a substantial amount of which remains in situ.
Stone windows were substantially replaced with timber and leaded lights with vertically sliding timber sashes. The roof was replaced with a new 19th-century roof. Further research is required to assess the restoration of the interior.
The restoration of House 3 has created a structure with a superficial resemblance to the original, but with little original fabric left. The paucity of records made during the restoration means that we cannot be sure of the authenticity of the work.

3.3 ROTHE HOUSE: CURRENT USES
Consultation with the two key stakeholders (the Kilkenny Archaeological Society and the Heritage Council) and numerous visits to the house have revealed an extensive variety of current uses and users of Rothe House. These are not exclusive categories, but rather are intricately intertwined. The following uses were identified.

3.3.1 VISITOR ATTRACTION FOR THE PUBLIC
This category subsumes a variety of linked functions, each of which has an independent validity to some extent. For convenience, they are grouped together here and include: the shop/entrance in the northern ground floor room; the restored first floor of House 1 (Phelan Room); the artefact displays on the second floor of House 1 (Lanigan Room); and the costume displays (Costume Rooms: No.1, first floor; No.2, Chadwick Room linking to House 1; and No.3, second floor in House 2). The day-to-day operation of the house falls to the Kilkenny Archaeological Society (see below).

3.3.2 USE BY THE KILKENNY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Rothe House serves as the headquarters for the Kilkenny Archaeological Society and is used by them for many events. The most important of these include: administering the day-to-day running of Rothe House; administration of KAS membership; Society meetings and lectures; hosting special events and exhibitions on behalf of Kilkenny City; housing and maintaining the library of archaeological, historical and social records of Kilkenny and region; housing the genealogical records and making a research service available to the public; housing Irish dance classes and the Gaelic League in the ground floor of House 2. Less directly linked to the other uses is the joint KAS/FAS project based on the first floor of House 2 (Cronin Room). This government-sponsored training programme is located here to facilitate the entering of information into a genealogical database, to the great benefit of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society.

3.3.3 INTEREST IN AND USE BY THE HERITAGE COUNCIL
Shortly after its restoration, the Heritage Council rented House 3, together with the southern end of the ground floor of House 1 with its cellar, for use as offices and storage space. Similarly, since the restoration of House 1 in 1965, approximately two-thirds of the plot behind House 3 has been used by the OPW as a works depot. Both the Heritage Council and the OPW are to relocate to new premises in the near future.

3.4 TIME LINE

• Mid 9th century to 10th &11th centuries - Cerball Mac Dúnlainge (King of Leinster) and his successors, the Mac Gilla Patraics, consolidated the growth of their power.
• 12th century Mac Gilla Patraics had a residence in Kilkenny.
• 1169 The Anglo-Normans, under Richard Fitz Herbert de Clare (Strongbow), built a fort on the site of the present Kilkenny Castle.
• After the Anglo-Norman invasion, Kilkenny developed into two towns: Hightown and lrishtown.
• Early 13th century - The Church held the land on the present Parliament Street.
• Between 1202-18 (1207-1231), High Street (later Parliament Street) was added to the Hightown.
• By 1383-84, the plot (later to contain Rothe House) became the burgage and townhouse of the Cistercian Abbots of Duiske Abbey, Graiguenamanagh.
• Late 14th century - The Butler family, the Earls of Ormonde, took over the castle.
• The city walls were begun c. 1400, and the section that underlies the rear boundary wall of the Rothe House plot was built around 1400-1425.
• 15th century - The Rothe family came to Kilkenny from Wales.
• Between 1440-1544 - 'a member of the Rothe family... was sovereign on eighteen occasions'.
• 1534-36 - The Abbey's lands were forfeited under Henry VIII and granted to the Rothe family.
• Mid 1500s - John Rothe Fitz-piers was born.
• John Rothe marries Rose Archer.
• 1590 - Rothe's first son, Peter; was born.
• 1594 – Rothe built House 1 and its courtyard.
• c. 1604 - Rothe built House 2, with a further courtyard, a well, a cistern and a mill in the second courtyard. The houses were linked via a series of service rooms along the northern side of the first courtyard.
• 1609 - Kilkenny received its charter as a free city and county from King James I. John Rothe Fitz-piers was one of its first aldermen.
• c. 1610 - House 3 and its courtyard were constructed, housing the great kitchen, the bakery, the brew house, storage rooms and servants' sleeping quarters.
• The burgage plot completed by a raised garden, orchards, a dovecote and a 'castle' (possibly a mural tower) to the rear of the plot.
• 1610 - Peter Rothe took over House I upon his marriage to Lettice Lawless.
• 1612 - John had erected a chapel and a tomb for himself and his wife in St Mary's churchyard.
• 1613 - John Rothe elected mayor of the city.
• 1620 - John Rothe died; Peter inherited the majority of the estate.
• 1639 - Peter was returned as an MP for Kilkenny City.
• 1642 - A legislative assembly, the Confederation of Kilkenny, was held in the city.
• 1642-48 - It is thought that Ecclesiastical Assembly meetings were held at Rothe House.
• 1648 - The Confederation was dissolved.
• 1649 - King Charles I executed.
• 1650 - Kilkenny besieged by Cromwell for a week before surrendering.
• 1653 - The Rothe family was dispossessed and sent to Connaught.
• 1654 - Peter Rothe died.
• 1654 - An order was issued to clear Kilkenny, with its citizens to be 'transplanted' to Connaught.
• 1654 - Civil Survey undertaken; records the northern end of High Street as 'North Quarter'.
• 1662 - The Duke of Ormonde was granted most of the housing stock in Irishtown and Hightown. This was disputed by the Corporation but settled in his favour in 1676.
• Rothe House was restored to Peter's eldest daughter; Rose.
• Rose married Richard Shee Fitz Marcus. Their son, Marcus Shee of Walsheshays (Sheestown), is known to have been in possession of the house in 1690.
• 1691 - Richard Shee Fitz Marcus outlawed as a Jacobite. Some debate whether Rothe House was confiscated by the State, as Richard managed to retain other properties.
• 1701 - Rothe House was owned by the Duke of Ormonde but leased to Abel Butler.
• c. 1720 - The 'Coal Market' replaced the 'North Quarter' for the current Parliament Street.
• 1727 - Rothe House let by Thomas Butler of Kilkenny to a William Johnson of Finglas. The lease records that the garden and orchard were still in existence.
• 1758 - Outshots were built from House 1 against the north boundary extending westward beyond the east wall of House 2.
• c. 1803-1810 - Some of the rooms in House 2 were being used as a private school run by George Buchanan. Michael and John Banim attended the school.
• 1811 - A lease stated that Mary Butler; a widow from Pottlerath, had originally leased the property to Buchanan and was then in the process of granting a 19-year lease to Andrew Wolfe, from whom the 19th-century name for the house - 'Wolf's Arch' - derives.
• 1830 - The front part of the house (presumably House 1) was occupied by Ester Westerman.
• 1841 - The 1758 outshots from House 1 against the north boundary were further extended westward beyond House 3, where a wall now enclosed the garden.
• 1843 - The Willoughbys were in possession of Rothe House. The date is unclear; but it was the Willoughbys who erected the shop front on either side of the arch.
• 1854-55 - Richard Preston took down and repaired the chimneys of Rothe House at his own expense as they were in a dilapidated and dangerous condition.
• 1850s - The house and cellars were being sub-leased to numerous tenants. In addition, the valuation records dealt separately with the front and the back of the house, with the front being dealt with as three properties, numbers 36, 37 and 38 Coal Market.
• 1860 - Coal Market renamed 'Parliament Street' after the Confederate Parliament of 1641-48.
• 1884 - Rothe House was declared 'unfit for human habitation' (James, 1884) as the site was in a 'filthy and dangerous condition'.
• Late 19th century - Rothe House continued as a school. Houses 2 and 3 were roofless ruins. The garden and orchard were divided into two gardens and leased separately.
• 1896-7 - The Willoughby family 'conveyed and assigned to Timothy O'Hanrahan houses and premises at Wolfe's Arch'.
• 1899 - Timothy O'Hanrahan carried out a restoration programme which probably extended House 2 laterally and vertically. The Gaelic League transferred to Rothe House. For a short period, the former Kilkenny Archaeological Society (later the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland) exhibited their artefact collection in the house.
• 1901 - Census of Population Returns for Parliament Street West Side and Wolf's Arch were returned separately. Wolf's Arch was uninhabited. The return for Parliament Street West Side showed that O'Hanrahan and Michael McGrath inhabited the property.
• 1911 - Census shows nil returns for both Parliament Street West Side and Wolf's Arch, indicating that the property was uninhabited.
• 1962 - O'Hanrahan's heir sold the site jointly to the Kilkenny Archaeological Society and Mr Brennan.
• 1960s - Restoration of House 1 by the late Percy Le Clerc of the OPW.
• 1966 - The Kilkenny Archaeological Society officially opened Rothe House to the public.
• 1980 - The Kilkenny Archaeological Society became the sole owners of Rothe House.
• 1996 - The Kilkenny Archaeological Society completed the restoration of House 3.

LINK TO:
Sections 1 & 2     Sections 4 & 5    Sections 6, 7 & 8