Book Description

This is the first major publication of the Discovery Programme's Medieval Rural Settlement Project. The book is a study of the medieval region that contained and was defined by the presence of Ireland's largest nucleated settlement. Combining documentary and archaeological data, this volume explores the primary settlement features of the hinterland area, including defensive monuments, manors, the church, and the Pale. It examines the ways in which resources of the region were managed and exploited to produce food, fuel, and raw materials for both town and country, and it investigates the processing of these raw materials for human consumption. Then as now, the city profoundly affected its surrounding area through its demands for resources and through the ownership of land by Dubliners (ecclesiastics and lay) and the control of trade by city merchants. In addition to presenting a timely examination of urban-rural interaction, the book contributes to wider debates on topics such as settlement landscapes, the role of lordship, and the productivity of agriculture.