Old Greystones

Son of Jack wrote: »

Great idea for a thread Sagat.

PixbyJohn, would you by any chance know or could you speculate why Charlesland is called Charlesland?

I've wondered for a while and made several inquiries but have drawn a blank.

Thanks.

Charlesland may mean the land of the peasant man, coming from the English word churl. The word churl comes from an old English word ceorl, which means freeman of the lowest class.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/churl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churl

sagat wrote: »

Surely that's a wind-up. I doubt the new developments there would have been so attractive under the name peasantland.

I prefer "churlsland"...

:-)

Agreed Peter McNiff's book about Greystones 'Stories from A Small Town' is eminently readable and very informative.

Derek Paine's Photographic Histories of Greystones (Bray and Enniskerry), - there are a couple of them, are also very evocative.

Yes, thats the same Mr. Ryle

Heres a few more, anyone remember Agnew's shoe repair and sports shop. It was situated where Klass boutique was, right beside Walker's Garage (Hills).
Now remember Brady's forge where Brady's hardware is now ? Then it was Jim Hayden's panel beating workshop before he moved to the Church Lane in Archer's place.

Just checked the placenames website (logainm.ie) - no evidence for the name Charlesland before 1839 - earliest spellings vary: Charles' land/Charless land/Charles land/Charlesland. Irish placenames ending in -land tend to be quite late in date (most are only found from the 19th century on). It could still originate as 'churls-land' as people have suggested, but you'd expect that to be a more common placename (the only equivalent is a Charlesfield in Mayo or somewhere). Unless someone knows of a 'Charles' family who got a landgrant nearby in the 17th/18th century, the jury is still out.
By the way - don't know how many people are aware of this - but there were a series of archaeological sites uncovered during construction at Charlesland (check out the links below or simply search for Charlesland on excavations.ie or archaeology.ie). The last link is a map showing locations of sites overlaid on a modern map.

http://www.mglarc.com/index.php/leinster/58-leinster-projects/180-excavations-at-charlesland-co-wicklow.html
http://www.mglarc.com/index.php/home/58-leinster-projects/107-unique-prehistoric-musical-instrument-discovered-in-co-wicklow
http://www.mglarc.com/images/stories/project_images/wicklow/chalesland_excavations/charlesland_sites.pdf

The borrowed Northern Ireland Railways Shuttle Train to Bray
The Dry Cleaners that exploded in the Quinnsworth shopping centre (where Xtravision is now)
The Copper Kettle
The old brown ripped seats in the Burnaby
The blowhole on the sea wall
Sitting on a (literally) frozen beach in the middle of winter
The 84a
Almost passing out downstairs on a bus to Bray when the fumes leaked into the bus


Ones I'd forgotten (until I read them here)
The Backwards clock in Jokers
Soundz

[Almost passing out downstairs on a bus to Bray when the fumes leaked into the bus

Saw that happening a few times. not sure that fumes had much to do with it though!

John Nolan delivered the milk door to door for Premier Dairies and HB

Mick O Reilly delivered Boland's bread (he later bought La Touche shop and was a sweet supplier with his Bedford van to shops all over Dublin & Wicklow)
Paddy Daly delivered Johnston Mooney & O Brien's bread. He used to park the van in what is now the bookies office beside the Beach House.
Mick Synnott of Newtown used to sell meat from his Morris Minor van house to house on a Saturday night in Greystones. He had a butchers shop in Newtown Mt. Kennedy.
James Moran from Three Trout used to sell potatoes for Victor Evans of Farrankelly farm from a van door to door.

Who remembers the siren on Charlie Evans' garage (now Davis Bros ) in Greystones, it used to be heard all over Greystones to signal the firemen to the station. There was also a bell in every fireman's house that rang at the same time.