Description

The Vestry Records of the Parishes of St Bride, St Michael Le Pole and St Stephen, Dublin, 1662–1742 is an edited archival publication by historian W.J.R. Wallace, issued as part of the RCB Library Texts and Calendars Series in association with Four Courts Press.

The volume makes accessible a set of vestry minute books documenting the administrative life of three historically linked Church of Ireland parishes located just outside Dublin’s medieval city walls, centred around areas such as Bride Street, Ship Street, Golden Lane, and Stephen Street.

These records reveal how parish vestries functioned as hybrid institutions combining religious authority and local civil governance. They cover a wide range of responsibilities, including:

• Parish taxation and expenditure (church cess)
• Maintenance of church buildings and infrastructure
• Appointment of parish officers such as churchwardens
• Poor relief and welfare support
• Firefighting, policing, and local order coordination

The historical context is especially significant. After the Restoration period, the united parishes gradually developed administrative systems that reflect the rebuilding of urban governance structures in Dublin during the 17th and early 18th centuries.

Beyond administrative detail, the records provide rich insight into everyday life in inner-city Dublin—names of residents, economic obligations, disputes, and community organisation all appear within structured annual entries. This makes the work valuable not only for historians but also for genealogists tracing Dublin families in the early modern period.

As part of the Four Courts Press “Texts and Calendars” series, the edition includes scholarly introduction, annotation, and indexing, ensuring the material is accessible for academic research while preserving the integrity of the original manuscript sources.

Overall, this volume stands as a key reference work for understanding parish governance, urban society, and Church of Ireland institutional history in Dublin between the Restoration and early Georgian period.

ISBN 9781846822858