Porch Fields

The Porch Fields is an area of medieval farmland outside Trim, Ireland with a medieval roadway that forms a National Monument.^[1]

Porch Fields

Goirt Péirse
View over the Boyne looking at Porch Fields. Photo from the late 19th century.
Shown within Ireland
Alternative name	Porchfields, Porchfield
Location	Trim, County Meath, Ireland
Region	Boyne Valley
Coordinates	53.554921°N 6.784334°W / 53.554921; -6.784334
Altitude	59 m (194 ft)
Type	Area of land with medieval roadway
Area	37.4 ha (92 acres)
History
Periods	Late Middle Ages
Site notes
Ownership	Public
Public access	yes
Designation	Designations National monument of Ireland Official name Porch Fields Reference no. 679

Location

The Porch Fields are a green area in Trim, located on the north bank of the River Boyne, between the old town wall and Sheep Gate to the west and Newtown Abbey to the east.

History

The Porchfield lies between the Anglo‐Norman town of Trim founded c. 1180 and the rural borough of Newtown Trim founded c. 1220. The two towns were connected through the open field via a medieval sunken lane road about 1 km (0.6 mi) in length. The new burgesses were awarded 3 acres (1.2 ha) of land each. They used ridge and furrow agriculture to grow crops, and each narrow strip was one perch (5 m, 16 ft) wide — this may is how the Porch Fields acquired their name.^[2] However, it could also derive from the French porte meaning 'door', referring to the Sheep Gate. The name "Portual Field" appears on a nineteenth-century map.^[3]

It is claimed that Oliver Cromwell's troops made camp on the Porch Fields before the 1649 Siege of Drogheda.^[4]