Father Mathew Bridge (Dublin)

Locality
Coordinates	53.345566, -6.275773
Adm. div.	Dublin
Vicinity	Across River Liffey, connecting Bridge Street Upper and Church Street
Type	Thoroughfare
Interest	Local tradition
Status	Extant
First Record	1577

Loading map...

{"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"34%","height":"400px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":false,"defzoom":9,"layers":["OpenStreetMap","NLS","Stamen.Terrain"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":53.345566,"lon":-6.275773,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Father Mathew Bridge, formerly known as Dublin Bridge, whence Little John shot an arrow that landed on a hillock on Oxmantown Green, according to Holinshed's Chronicles (1577)

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-06-02. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2017-06-03.

According to the first first edition of Holinshed's Chronicles (1577), Little John shot an arrow, standing on Father Mathew Bridge, then known as Dublin Bridge (see 1577 Allusion below). The arrow landed on a hillock on Oxmantown Green, which hillock was accordingly named Little John's Shot

The chronicle has Little John sailing to Ireland and staying at Dublin for a few days. The locals very much wanted to see an example of his prowess with the longbow. He shot his arrow an unknown but considerable distance. However, this feat made his presence known to the authorities, and Little John had to leave Ireland for Scotland (see 1577 Allusion below). The Dublin Bridge on which he was believed to have stood when shooting his arrow was a stone bridge built by the Dominicans in 1428. With four bridges and a tower at either end, it was lined with housing, shops etc., including a chapel and an inn. A new bridge, the Whitworth Bridge, was built in its place in 1816-18 and renamed Father Mathew Bridge 1938-

On the page on Little John's Shot (Dublin) you can read about the place where the arrow was said to have landed.

1577 - Holinshed, Raphael - Chronicles (5)

The names of the fieldes adioyning to Dubline.
SAint [sic] Stephens greene.
Hoggyng greene.
The Steyne.
Ostmantowne greene. In the further ende of this field is there a hole, commonly termed Scald brothers hole, a Laberinth reachyng two large myles vnder the earth. This hole was in olde tyme frequented by a notorious théefe named scaldebrother, wherin he would hyde all the bag and baggage he could pilfer. The varlet was so swifte on foote, as he hath eftsoones outrún the swiftest and lustiest yong men in all Ostmantowne, maugre theyr heds, bearing a potte or a panne of theyrs on his shoulders, to his den. And now and then, in derision of such as pursued hym, he would take hys course vnder the gallowes, which standeth very nigh hys caue (a fitte signe for such an Inne) and so beyng shrowded within his lodge, he reckened himself cocksure, none beyng found at that time so hardy as would aduenture to entangle himselfe within so intricate a maze. But as the pitcher that goeth often to the water, commeth at length home broke: so this lusty youth would not surcease from open catchyng, forcible snatchyng, and priuy prowling, to time he was by certain gaping groomes that late in wayte for him, intercepted, fleeing towards his couch, hauyng vpon his apprehension no more wrong done hym, then that he was not sooner hanged on that gallowes, through which in his youth & iollitie he was wont to run. There standeth in Ostmantowne greene, an hillocke named little John hys shot. The occasion procéeded of this.
 In the yere 1189. there ranged thrée robbers and outlawes in England, among which Robert hoode and little Iohn were chiefetaines, of all théefes doubtlesse the most courteous. Robert hoode beyng betrayed at a Noonry in Scotland called Bricklies, the remnaunt of the crue was scattered, and euery man forced to shift for himselfe. Wherupõ little Iohn was fayne to flie the realme, by sayling into Ireland, where he soiourned for a few dayes at Dubline. The citizens beyng done to vnderstand, the wanderyng outcast to be an excellent archer, requested hym hartily to trie how far he could shoote at randone. Who yeldyng to their behest, stoode on the bridge of Dublin, and shotte to that mole hill, leauyng behynde him a monument, rather by his posteritie to be woondered, then possibly by any man liuyng to be counterscored. But as the repayre of so notorious a champion, to any countrey, would soone be published, so his abode could not be long concealed: and therefore, to eschew the daunger of lawes, he fled into Scotland, where he dyed at a towne or Village called Morany. Gerardus Mercator, in his Cosmographye affirmeth, that in the same towne the bones of an huge and mighty man are kept, which was called little Iohn, amõg which bones, ye huckle bone or hipbone was of such largenesse, as witnesseth Hector Boethius, yt he thrust his arme through ye hole therof. And the same bone beyng suted to the other partes of his body, did argue the man to haue bene 14. foote long, which was a prety length for a little Iohn. Whereby appeareth, that he was called little Iohn ironically lyke as we terme him an honest man, whom we take for a Knaue in grayne. [...]

Gazetteers

• Outside scope of Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 293-311.

Background

• Phillips, M.; Hamilton, A. 'Project History of Dublin’s River Liffey Bridges', Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, vol. 156, Bridge Engineering, Issue BE4 (2003), pp. 161-79, see especially p. 162.
• Wikipedia: Father Mathew Bridge

Also see

• Dublin place-name cluster.

Notes

Irish place-names

Template:BeforeNavTemplate:NavTemplate:PreviousPlace-namesTemplate:BeforeNavTemplate:NavTemplate:Next

"th" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 16.