Summary
The Porch Fields is an area of medieval farmland outside Trim, Ireland with a medieval roadway that forms a National Monument.[1]
Goirt Péirse | |||||||||
 View over the Boyne looking at Porch Fields. Photo from the late 19th century. | |||||||||
  Shown within Ireland | |||||||||
| Alternative name | Porchfields, Porchfield | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Trim, County Meath, Ireland | ||||||||
| Region | Boyne Valley | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 53°33′18″N 6°47′04″W / 53.554921°N 6.784334°W | ||||||||
| Altitude | 59 m (194 ft) | ||||||||
| Type | Area of land with medieval roadway | ||||||||
| Area | 37.4 ha (92 acres) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| Periods | Late Middle Ages | ||||||||
| Site notes | |||||||||
| Ownership | Public | ||||||||
| Public access | yes | ||||||||
| Designation |
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Location edit
The Porch Fields are a green area in Trim, located on the north bank of the River Boyne, between the old town wall and Sheep Gate to the west and Newtown Abbey to the east.
History edit
The Porchfield lies between the Anglo‐Norman town of Trim founded c. 1180 and the rural borough of Newtown Trim founded c. 1220. The two towns were connected through the open field via a medieval sunken lane road about 1 km (⅔ mile) in length. The new burgesses were awarded 3 acres (1.2 ha) of land each. They used ridge and furrow agriculture to grow crops, and each narrow strip was one perch (5 m / 16½ feet) wide — this may is how the Porch Fields acquired their name.[2] However, it could also derive from the French porte meaning "door", referring to the Sheep Gate. The name " Portual Field" appears on a nineteenth-century map.[3]
It is claimed that Oliver Cromwell's troops made camp on the Porch Fields before the 1649 Siege of Drogheda.[4]
References edit
- ^ Holdings: Medieval Trim/Porchfield/Newtown-Trim. 22 January 2020.
- ^ Kelly, Dermot (1 January 2005). "The Porchfield of Trim ‐ A medieval 'open‐field'". Irish Geography. 38 (1): 23–43. doi:10.1080/00750770509555847.
- ^ Potterton, Michael (June 2003). The Archaeology And History Of Medieval Trim, County Meath (PDF) (PhD). Vol. 1. Department of Modern History, National University of Ireland Maynooth.
- ^ "Irish Literary Gazette: A Weekly Journal of National Literature, Criticism, Fiction, Industry, Science, and Art. .... 1857". Chamney and Company, 86 Middle Abbey-street. 1 January 1857 – via Google Books.