Rothe House is a late 16th-century merchant's townhouse complex located in the city of Kilkenny. The complex was built by John Rothe Fitz-Piers between 1594–1610 in the English Renaissance style which was introduced to the south-east of Ireland by the Thomas Butler, the 10th Earl of Ormond, in the 1560s. It is made up of three houses, three enclosed courtyards, and a large reconstructed garden with orchard. As a museum, it is accessible to the public. It is the only remaining example of a complete burgage plot in Ireland, and considered to be nationally significant because of the range of original post-medieval features that survive. The property, an important element of Kilkenny's heritage, is owned by the Kilkenny Archaeological Society.

The Rothe family were merchants foremost, but also involved in politics. They were part of an oligarchy of around ten families who controlled Kilkenny throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, and into the 17th century. Rothe house was constructed on a burgage plot John Rothe Fitz Piers acquired. All three houses are dated, the first at 1594 on John Rothe's coat-of-arms next to the oriel window, the second at 1604 in an inscription on the cistern once connected to the second house and the third at 1610 on the Rothe-Archer coat-of-arms above its entrance door.

The house was confiscated after Charles I's defeat in England, due to the family's involvement in the confederation of Kilkenny. It is believed that the Ecclesiastical Assembly, one of the three bodies forming the confederation, met at Rothe House. Following the restoration of Charles II, the house was given back to the Rothe family, but they lost it again after the Battle of the Boyne. It changed ownership several times, before it was finally purchased by Kilkenny Archaeological Society in 1962.

For over 100 years (until 2015), the second house served the Gaelic League as a meeting venue, where Thomas MacDonagh taught Irish history.

This description incorporates text from the English Wikipedia.

Loading comments...

Loading contexts...

Make:	NIKON CORPORATION
Model:	NIKON D750
Exposure:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture:	f/8.0
ISO Speed:	200
Focal Length:	24 mm
Lens:	24.0-120.0 mm f/4.0