The Vestry Records of the parishes of St Bride, St Michael Le Pole and St Stephen, Dublin, 1662–1742

W.J.R. Wallace

This is the fifth volume in the RCB Library ‘Texts and Calendars’ series. Like the earlier volumes, it seeks to make key texts for the history of the Church of Ireland easily accessible through the medium of critical editions with introductions and notes to the texts by experts in the field.

The parish of St Bride, united with the parishes of St Michael Le Pole and St Stephen, served an area just outside the Dublin city walls based around Bride Street, Ship Street, Golden Lane, Stephen’s Street and Chequer Lane. The records of its vestry reveal at first hand how the parish recovered following the Restoration and developed in the 18th century. Information on the parish church, the clergy and patterns of worship, the role of the parish officers and their interaction with the city in areas such as poor relief, fire fighting and policing, provide valuable insights into local and ecclesiastical history in inner city Dublin.

W.J.R. Wallace is the editor of Dublin and Glendalough clergy and parishes (Belfast, 2001) and the author of Faithful to our trust (Dublin, 2004), a history of the High School, Dublin, where he taught for many years.