A catalogue of the maps of the estates of the Archbishops of Dublin, 1654–1850

Raymond Refaussé & Mary Clark

The manuscript maps of the estates of the archbishops of Dublin are rare survivals for most of the Church of Ireland's cartographical collections were destroyed in the fire that engulfed the Public Record Office in June 1922.

They relate largely to lands in county Dublin but also concern property in the city of Dublin and in counties Wicklow, Westmeath and Cork. This catalogue lists sixty-four maps, dating from 1654 to 1850, in chronological order and describes their contents and physical characteristics. The descriptions are complemented by both colour and black & white reproductions of the more important items in the collection. A curatorial introduction describes the evolution of the collection and an historical introduction sets the maps in the context of the administration of the archbishops' estates and explains why they were made and the functions they were intended to serve.

Appendices provide valuable biographical information on the surveyors who drew the maps as well as the archbishops for whom they worked.

Raymond Refaussé is Librarian and Archivist, Representative Church Body Library, Dublin. In 1998, he edited The Registers of Christ Church Cathedral as part of the Christ Church History Series. Mary Clark is the archivist with Dublin City Corporation and co-editor of John T. Gilbert, 1829-1898: Librarian, Historian & Archivist: A Centenary Celebration (1999).