Dame Lane derives its name from the medieval church of
St. Mary del Dam, which was demolished in the 17th century. According to some sources, the name of the church comes from a Poddle dam that originally gave its name to Dam(e) Street and to the eastern gate of the city of Dublin. These are identified as Damas Street and Damas Gate on John Speed's map of 1610. Speed's map also shows a residential area stretching east from the walled city, the old 12th-century St Andrew's Church, and a semi-circular enclosed graveyard near Palace Street. Various spellings appear in different sources and on maps, including Damas, Dammas, Dames, and Dame's. Dame Street, just to the north, "was the Royal Mile of 18th Century Dublin," linking the castle to the parliament building. Today, Dame Lane dates mainly from the late 18th century, when it was set out as a
mews lane as part of the work of the
Wide Streets Commission, between 1785 and 1790, in the second phase of its works "for making wide and convenient streets." The section of Dame Lane closest to
Dublin Castle follows the line of an older route through the area where the old Castle Market stood, just off what is now South Great George's Street. The re-alignment of this, the oldest part of the existing lane, began in 1782 with the demolition of Castle Market. Dame Lane is shown but described as "unnamed" on Brooking's map of 1728, but is identified on Rocque's later map of 1756. and built on the site of the churchyard of the old St Andrew's Church. Some time after 1682, the old St. Andrew's graveyard was obliterated with the construction of the market. This market is shown clearly on Rocque's 1756 map. It featured 34 stalls of butchers, cheesemakers and poulterers, and the map: "shows a marketplace connected to George's street by a narrow laneway. It could be entered from Palace St by another short alleyway known as Dame Lane". From 1785 to 1790, the newer section of Dame Lane, east of George's Street, replaced an earlier medieval street pattern of "tangled plots and lanes between George's Lane and Trinity Street". Trinity Place, a mainly residential lane and square, existed along this lane for many years in the 19th century, but has long since gone. This was to the south of, and accessed directly from, Dame Lane. In 1818, Trinity Place had 172 residents, and later in Thom's Almanac of 1862 "Trinity-place off Dame-Lane" is listed as having 21 houses, many noted as being in tenements. Dame Lane also had some tenements in 1862, as well as a tavern, provision stores, and various other businesses. The spot where Trinity Place once stood, just off Dame Lane, has historic connections with the construction of a bridewell from 1603 (featured on Speed's map) and from 1616 with Trinity College. "In 1660, Trinity Hall (standing or the ground now occupied by Trinity-place), belonging to Trinity College, was set apart as a medical school". == Dame Lane in fiction ==