The Normans, led by Strongbow, came to Kilkenny in 1169. They found a town clustered around a wooden church where St Canice's Cathedral is built today. A stone round tower was standing beside the church. The round tower, which still stands today, had been built in 1111 by the bishop of Ossory. The building of this round tower shows that Kilkenny had become the most important town in the diocese of Ossory.
When the Normans arrived in Kilkenny they were welcomed and put up in the local hostels. Strongbow decided to build a motte and bailey on a hill to the south of St Canice's Cathedral, where the Castle now stands.
In 1174, this motte and bailey was destroyed by O'Brien of Limerick and the Normans left Kilkenny. Strongbow had no sons and when his daughter, Isabella, married William Marshal

Lord of Kilkenny

in 1189, he became Lord over all of Strongbow's lands including Dublin, Kildare, Louth Wicklow, Wexford Laois, part of Offaly and Kilkenny. William was a very energetic and wise man. He decided to make Kildare the 'capital' of the northern part of his kingdom and Kilkenny the 'capital' of the southern part. In 1207 the town received its charter from King John, son of King Henry II, and William Marshal began to build Kilkenny Castle. Top of Page
The people govern themselves

William decided to let the people of Kilkenny govern themselves to a large degree and so in 1203 he set up a town council with the leader called the 'sovereign'. Only the burgesses could be elected to the town council. The written history of Kilkenny started at this time with the Liber Primus Kilkenniensis(First book of Kilkenny) which is still kept in the Tholsel. Top of Page
The streets which joined Irishtown ( the area around St Canice's Cathedral) to Hightown (the area around the Castle) were High St. and Coalmarket. (Parliament St.). William Marshal rented long narrow plots of land facing onto these streets to 'burgesses'. The burgesses paid the lord a shilling rent every year (=£1000 in today's money).They built houses along the streets and traded. On their land they built outhouses, extra houses for their children, planted vegetables and grew orchards. The burgesses were the business people of the town and they were privileged. They were freemen who could marry without having to ask the permission of the lord. They were entitled to Trial by Jury of their peers. They were also allowed to take timber from the lords woods outside the town. The burgesses were mostly Normans ------ John White, William Lombard, Sir Patrick de la Freyne, the Graces, the Talbots, the Forestalls, Thomas Cantwell are some of the Norman names of the burgesses.Rothe House is the only remaining house left from this period
Because of its position in the South East of Ireland, Kilkenny became a very important town. It was the largest inland town.Top of Page
Religious Orders

William Marshal brought a number of religious orders to the city: the Augustinians in 1217 the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights of St John. The Franciscans came from Waterford in 1231 and the Dominicans came from Oxford in 1225. William built the Black Abbey for them. Interestingly, when he started building the wall around Kilkenny, the Black Abbey was outside the wall and so was more prone to attack from his enemtes. William set about building St Canice's Cathedral which was the second biggest cathedral in the country after Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin. Kilkenny became a centre of learning. Top of Page

Seat of Parliament
On average the parliament of the Anglo-Normans met in Kilkenny every four years or so twenty four times in all. The fact that Lionel Duke of Clarence, son of King Edward 1, chose Kilkenny to enact the Statutes shows just how important it was.
Kilkenny became a great market town. Sheep and grain were the most important commodities. Before the Bruce invasion (1315-1319) merchants came from Dublin to Kilkenny to buy grain. Grain was even exported from Kilkenny to Europe through the ports of New Ross and Waterford. Fish such as hake and conger eel was brought to Kilkenny from Wexford.

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