Reginald's Tower () is a historic tower in
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
,
Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
, Ireland. It is located at the eastern end of the city
quay
A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...
. The tower has been in usage for different purposes for many centuries and is an important landmark in Waterford and an important remnant of its medieval urban defence system. It is the oldest civic building in Ireland and it is the only urban monument in Ireland to retain a Norse or Viking name.
Early history
Reginald's Tower was built by the
Anglo-Normans
The Anglo-Normans (, ) were the medieval ruling class in the Kingdom of England following the Norman Conquest. They were primarily a combination of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, French people, Frenchmen, Anglo-Saxons and Celtic Britons.
Afte ...
after their conquest of
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
, replacing an earlier Viking fortification. The tower's name is derived from an
Anglicised
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
form of the
Irish name ''
Raghnall
''Ragnall'', ''Raghnall'', ''Raonall'', and ''Raonull'' are masculine personal names or given names in several Gaelic languages.
''Ragnall'' occurs in Old Irish, and Middle Irish/Middle Gaelic. It is a Gaelicised form of the Old Norse '' Røgnva ...
'', which is in turn a
Gaelicised
Gaelicisation, or Gaelicization, is the act or process of making something Gaels, Gaelic or gaining characteristics of the ''Gaels'', a sub-branch of Celticisation. The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group, traditionally viewed as having spread fro ...
form of the
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
''
Røgnvaldr''. The tower's name seems to refer to one of the many Viking
rulers of the town that bore the name. One possibility is that it refers to
Ragnall Mac Gilla Muire, the last
Hiberno-Norse ruler of the town. The present tower is likely to have been built in the 13th or 14th century; it may have been constructed between 1253 and 1280.
[J.S. Carroll, ''Decies Journal'' XXVI Summer 1984. pp.22–27] In 1185
Prince John of England landed in Waterford and organised the rebuilding of the city's defences, including the tower.
[''Reginald's Tower'', visitors guide, Office of Public Works]
The tower is 54 feet high; its horizontal cross section is circular. It is 42½ feet in diameter and is surmounted by a conical roof. A spiral staircase ascends within the thick walls - these are 10 feet wide at the base, tapering down to 7 feet at the top. It was part of the ancient city walls of Waterford and could be considered the apex of a triangle formed by three structures —
Turgesius
Turgesius (died 845) (also called Turgeis, Tuirgeis, Turges, and Thorgest) was a Viking chief active in Ireland during the 9th century. Turgesius Island, the principal island on Lough Lene, is named after him. It is not at all clear whether the na ...
Tower on Barronstrand Street, St. Martins Castle on Lady Lane, and Reginald’s Tower at the quay and the mall. It was strategically located on the high ground between a branch of St. John's River on the southeast (since drained, and now known as the Mall) and the
River Suir
The River Suir ( ; or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of .
The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2. to the north. It is also very close to the historic
French Church. The site is sometimes called Dundory (an Irish word which means "fort of oak"), and hence the tower is occasionally called the Dundory Tower. It is also known as the Ring Tower.
It was one of seventeen towers which encircled the city of Waterford in medieval times. Today it is the largest of the six surviving towers, which are considered the finest examples of medieval urban defence in Ireland.
The other surviving towers are the
Watch Tower
A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are b ...
,
Double Tower
The Double Tower is one of the 17 towers which were part of the city walls of Waterford, Munster, Ireland. It was built in the latter part of the 15th century and the early part of the 16th century.''Decies Journal No. 60''. The work at Double T ...
,
French Tower
The French Tower is a tower at the top of Castle Street in Waterford, Munster, Ireland. It is one of the six surviving towers of the city walls of Waterford. The tower most likely dates from the 13th or 14th century. The origin of the name is un ...
, Semi-Lunar Tower and Beach Tower.
Medieval history
The tower has been used as a
mint
Mint or The Mint may refer to:
Plants
* Lamiaceae, the mint family
** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint"
Coins and collectibles
* Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins
* Mint condition, a state of like-new ...
,
a prison, and a military storehouse. It is also famous for being the location of the wedding of Richard de Clare, the second
Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...
, and Aoife (pronounced eefa), daughter of
Dermot MacMurrough
Diarmait Mac Murchada (Modern Irish: ''Diarmaid Mac Murchadha''; anglicised as Dermot MacMurrough or Dermot MacMurphy; – c. 1 May 1171), was King of Leinster in Ireland from 1127 to 1171. In 1167, he was deposed by the High King of Ireland ...
,
King of Leinster. It occasionally served as a royal castle, and was visited by
King John in 1210, who ordered new coins to be
struck Struck is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Adolf Struck
Adolf Hermann Struck (1877–1911) was a German sightseer and writer. He is known for his Travel literature, travelogue ''Makedonische Fahrten'' and for surveying the ...
there.
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...
visited the tower in 1394 and again in 1399.
He used the tower to store his
munition
Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...
s. On 27 July 1399 Richard left Reginald's Tower as King of England and
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
; on his arrival in England he was captured by the future
Henry IV and forced to abdicate.
In 1463, coins were minted in Reginald's Tower by order of the
Irish Parliament, which, at that time, was meeting in the city. The coins had the words "Civitas Waterford" struck on one side. In 1495, the tower’s cannons successfully deterred the forces of
Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck ( – 23 November 1499) was a pretender to the English throne claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, who was the second son of Edward IV and one of the so-called "Princes in the Tower". Richard, were he alive, would ...
, the
pretender
A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term may often be used to either refer to a descendant of a deposed monarchy or a claim that is not legitimat ...
to the throne of
Henry VII. Cannons from the tower sank one of his ships during an 11-day siege. This was the first successful use of
artillery
Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
by an Irish city. A cannon from this ship was recovered from the River Suir in 1901.
This victory earned the city its motto ''Urbs Intacta Manet'' - "Waterford remains the unconquered city".
In 1649,
Waterford was besieged by the army of the English parliamentarian
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
, but he failed to capture the city on that occasion. They returned in 1650, and this time they were successful. A
cannonball
A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...
, visible high up the wall on the north side of the building, is lodged firmly in the wall, and is reputed to be from this siege.
In 1690, following his defeat at the
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne ( ) took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and James's daughter), had acceded to the Crowns of England and Sc ...
,
James II of England
James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
is said to have climbed to the top of the tower to take a last look at his lost kingdom before embarking for exile in France.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the tower was used to store munitions. In the early 19th century it functioned as a prison.
Present day
In 1861, Reginald's Tower became the property of the Waterford Corporation, and the residence of the Chief Constable of Waterford. It continued to be inhabited until 1954, when the last resident left and the building was turned into a museum. During the
Emergency
An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...
it functioned as an
air raid shelter
Air raid shelters are structures for the protection of non-combatants as well as combatants against enemy attacks from the air. They are similar to bunkers in many regards, although they are not designed to defend against ground attack (but ...
. It currently houses the
Waterford Viking Museum and exhibits many of the
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
finds from the 2003 dig at
Woodstown
Woodstown (, IPA: �bˠalʲəˈnˠaˈkɛl̪ʲə is home to a historic settlement measuring 1.5 km by 0.5 km, located on the southern bank of the River Suir, about 5.5 km west of Waterford City in the southeast of Ireland. This sit ...
on the River Suir near the city.
It is located in the area of
Waterford Viking Triangle
The Waterford Viking Triangle is part of the cultural and heritage area in Waterford City. It is so called because of the 1000-year-old Viking walls which once surrounded it. The sites within the "triangle" include Reginald's Tower (which contai ...
in the centre of Waterford city. A replica Viking
longship
Longships, a type of specialised Viking ship, Scandinavian warships, have a long history in Scandinavia, with their existence being archaeologically proven and documented from at least the fourth century BC. Originally invented and used by th ...
is exhibited beside Reginald's Tower.
See also
*
List of National Monuments in County Waterford
*
History of Waterford
Waterford city is situated in south eastern Ireland, on the river Suir ronounced Shureabout from where the river enters the sea.
Waterford is Ireland's oldest city and is thought to have been founded by Vikings in the 9th century. It was t ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
Waterford's three museumsNational Monuments in State Care - WaterfordThe Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife (Painting by Daniel Maclise, 1854)
{{Authority control
Towers in the Republic of Ireland
Buildings and structures in Waterford (city)
History of Waterford (city)
National monuments in County Waterford