The archaeology of medieval Ireland

255 Pages·1988·9.97 MB·English

by  T. B. Barry

The Archaeology
of
Medieval Ireland

The Archaeology
of
Medieval Ireland

T.B.BARRY
First published in 1987 by
Methuen & Co. Ltd

First published in paperback in 1988 by
Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003.

© 1987 T.B.Barry
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or
by any electronic, mechanical or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Barry, T.B. (Terence B.)
The archaeology of medieval Ireland.
1. Ireland. Human settlements, ca 1000–ca 1500.
Archaeological investigation
I. Title
941.5

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Barry, Terence B.
The archaeology of medieval Ireland/T.B.Barry.
p. cm.
Bibliography: p.
Includes indexes.
1. Ireland—Antiquities. 2. Ireland—History—1172–1603.
3. Excavations (Archaeology)—Ireland. I. Title.
DA920.B348 1988
936.1–dc19 88–14799

ISBN 0-203-40250-2 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-71074-6 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-01104-3 (pbk.)
This book is dedicated to
Eithne, Stephanie and Maeve,
and to the memory of
Lieutenant Terry Barry (1921–43)

Contents
List of figures ix
List of plates xi
Preface and acknowledgements xiii
Abbreviations xv
1 Introduction 1
2 Pre-Norman settlement c.1000–1169 15
3 Anglo-Norman military fortifications 37
4 Anglo-Norman rural settlement 72
5 The growth of medieval towns 116
6 The archaeology of the medieval church 139
7 The later middle ages: growth or decline? 168
8 Future horizons 199
Notes 204
Bibliography 213
Manuscript sources 213
Printed sources 213
Secondary works 215
Place index 227
Subject and name index 234

vii

Figures
1 Plan of ringfort at Garryduff I, Co. Cork (after O’Kelly 1962b) 17
2 Plan of Dunbeg promontory fort, Co. Kerry (Barry 1981a) 21
3 Souterrain at Dunbeg, Co. Kerry (Barry 1981a) 25
4 Distribution map of early ecclesiastical enclosures (after Swan
1983) 29
5 Map of Dublin city walls and NMI excavation sites (after
Wallace 1985b) 31
6 Plan of four house plots of the eleventh century at Fishamble
Street, Dublin (after Wallace 1985b) 33
7 Map of Waterford city walls and towers (courtesy of Waterford
Corporation) 34
8 Distribution map of surviving mottes in 1973 (after Glasscock
1975) 39
9 Section of Rathmullan motte, Co. Down (after Lynn 1981–2) 42
10 Conjectural restoration of the house and tower at Lismahon, Co.
Down (after Waterman 1959a) 43
11 Plan of top of motte at Clough Castle, Co. Down (after
Waterman 1954a) 44
12 Plan of Trim Castle, Co. Meath, showing excavated area (after
Sweetman 1978a) 47
13 Plan of Adare Castle, Co. Limerick, showing areas excavated by
Sweetman in 1975 (after Leask 1973) 50
14 Distribution map of possible ringwork castles 52
15 Plan of Dundrum Castle, Co. Down (Crown Copyright.Reproduced
with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s
Stationery Office) 60
16 Plan of Roscommon Castle, Co. Roscommon (after Stalley 1971) 67
17 Plan of two medieval houses at Caherguillamore, Co. Limerick
(after Ó Ríordáin and Hunt 1942) 73
ix