Part 1
The picturesque village of Talbot’s Inch stands on the west bank of the River Nore in the northern suburbs of Kilkenny City. Contemporary accounts described Talbot’s Inch as a ‘garden village’ but it is more accurately described as a model village
Talbot’s Inch is a townland in County Kilkenny about one mile north of the city. The lands were named after a Norman family Talbot but whether they had residence there is no known record. On the southern side of the Inch or meadows in the right angle bend of the river Nore, the remains of a court yard wall and flagstones were to be seen up to 150 years ago. This was claimed to be the ruins of a house but if so it was in a very bad position as this field floods every year. More likely it was a bawn for cattle. It was mentioned that gold and silver were buried there, more about this story later.
The Talbots were among the first of the Norman families to settle in Kilkenny. Their story and history is similar to other Norman families who were witnesses and took very little part in commercial activities in the city or county. Then at a later time when they were prominent citizens their names occurred constantly in city and county records.
Gilbert Talbot an ancestor of the Earl of Shrewsbury married Petronilla daughter of James 1st Earl of Ormonde, and a later connection between the families was the marriage of Elizabeth daughter of the 4th Earl of Ormonde with John Talbot 4th Earl of Shrewsbury. The earliest mention of the Talbots is 1233 and many of the early references to them refer to them acting as witnesses to deeds, rents, and grants pertaining to the settlement of lands the Normans had acquired. Theobald Walter Butler of Ireland is the chief figure in these deeds and it is interesting to note that at first he was Theobald Walter Chief Butler of Ireland and this gradually changed in the course of one hundred years to Sir Walter De Butler.
The mention of lands at Talbot’s Inch is in a deed of 1332, when Thomas Parmenter grants to Richard son of Peter de Arderne of Kilkenny and the heirs male of the same for ever all his right in two acres and one stang of land in the burgage of Irishtown lying in length between the lands of William Geoffrey and in breadth from the lands of John Talbot to the lane which leads to Talbots Ynche. This lane is still in existence and was part of the old road to Freshford, it started at the foot of Bishops Hill where a branch leads down to the Bishops Meadows
In 1342 William Fowler grants to Peter de Arderne two and a half acres of arable land which lies in length from the highway leading to the grange of Robert Fitz Hugh to John Talbots land and in breadth from the land of the said Robert to the lands of the Bishop of Ossory. (The Bishop’s Meadows)
In 1322 Thomas Talbot was granted a pardon for trespass against the Crown in consideration of services he had rendered in fighting against the O’Nolans and other native clans on the Eastern borders of Kilkenny. From this time on the Talbots became increasingly prominent in the affairs of the town and county. John Talbot in 1334 and 1340 was Sheriff of Kilkenny and had to render an account to the court of barons of his work. There must have been an error in his accounts because the Seneschall of Kilkenny was ordered to arrest Talbot so he could give a statement of his arrears. Five years later he was again before the courts to render an account and he was short of cash by £10-10s 3d. and he was committed to the custody of the town marshal. It is not known if he was kept in prison for almost three years but on the 10th March 1348 a mandate was issued from the Treasurer of Kilkenny to the Seneschall of the town suspending the distraint and he was forgiven the debt to the extent of £10-6s-9d leaving 3s-6d unaccounted for. In spite of these troubles he was a very esteemed man of good credit for in 1366 he was accepted as surety for John de la Freyne and went bail for both the Seneschall of the liberties of Kilkenny and the Sheriff of the cross of Kilkenny. Again in 1357 he was Portreieve. When a very old man in 1381 he went surety for his son Robert as Sheriff, it is presumed he died around this time, his tomb is in St. Canice’s Cathedral but no date recording his death. It is believed this John Talbot is of the Ormond deeds who left three sons all who are mentioned in the City records.
Next week part 2
