Dublin in Deeds: Records of the Guild of St Anne, 1237-1778

Discover the stories of people and property in medieval Dublin.

The Guild of St Anne Collection in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy opens a fascinating window into life in medieval Dublin. Established in 1430, the Guild brought together merchants and bureaucrats, landlords and tenants, and families and neighbours based around St Audoen’s church, Cornmarket. Over the centuries, they produced hundreds of original parchment deeds. From donations and bequests, to wills and conveyances, these extensive property records reveal the ordinary – and sometimes extraordinary – stories of the women and men of St Anne’s Guild.

Personal details appear, such as Alice Beke’s bequest of a gown to her sister in 1406, or Thomas Rowe’s will of 1472, which pointedly excluded Thomas Northeren from inheriting his horse. In 1342, William Douce’s will gave his wife, Marion, rent-free housing and in the next sentence provided for his mistress, Alice, and the two sons he had fathered with her!

In the 1950s, the Irish Manuscripts Commission commissioned Dr Ludwig Bieler to create an English-language calendar, or summary, of this extraordinary collection, to make the Latin contents and medieval script more accessible. Now, the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland, in partnership with the Royal Irish Academy and the Irish Manuscripts Commission, has united digital images of the original records with a new and revised edition of Bieler’s unpublished calendar in the Guild of St Anne Gold Seam, which is being made freely available online on virtualtreasury.ie

For the first time, the public will access the Guild of St Anne Collection online, along with historical context and exploration tools, providing an enriched understanding of the Guild and its place in medieval Dublin.

The Royal Irish Academy, along with the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland and the Irish Manuscripts Commission, warmly invite you to celebrate the launch of this new digital resource, which makes one of Dublin’s most important historical records available to researchers and history enthusiasts. Selected highlights from the collection will be on exhibition during the evening.

18.00 Welcome and 'Curating the Guild of St Anne Collection' - Barbara McCormack, Academy Librarian

18.10 'The survival of the Guild of St Anne in the early modern period' - Colm Lennon, MRIA

18.25 'Doorways into the Past: Two Cook Street Properties of the Guild of St Anne' - Dr Theresa O’Byrne, Virtual Record Treasury Associate Researcher

18.40 'From Script to Screen: The Guild of St Anne Gold Seam' -  Dr Lynn Kilgallon, Virtual Record Treasury Research Fellow in Medieval History

19.00 Official launch of RIA A060 Guild of St Anne, a VRTI Gold Seam

Followed by a reception and refreshments

Access requirements

Have you got any access requirements that we can assist you with, so that you can fully engage with our event? If so, please email accessofficer@ria.ie in advance

About the Royal Irish Academy

The Royal Irish Academy, established in 1785, is an all-island, independent learned society and academic body that champions research by supporting and promoting scholarship in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. Its elected membership of approximately 680 individuals and 80 staff represent Ireland internationally, provide expert advice to government, carry out research, administer research grants, organise conferences and public lectures, publish academic books and journals, and maintain a research library.

Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann | Royal Irish Academy
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