Settlement and economy in Co. Antrim, 1100–1300: continuity and change

The incursion of Anglo-Norman lords into Ireland in 1168–9 has always assumed a crucial position in the political history of Ireland, dividing the Early Medieval period from the Later Medieval one. This article seeks to examine evidence as to how the incursion, in this case by John de Courcy into Ulster in 1177, affected the northern part of his lordship. It seeks to do so by beginning at the start of the twelfth century, rather than in 1177, in particular with the reform of the Church after 1111. It looks at the evidence under three headings. The first is the organisation of lordship (secular and religious) and the land, in deaneries and counties and in estates and parishes; the origins of parishes are seen as a crucial point. The second considers the impact of coinage, trade and towns. The third considers the effect on agriculture and rural settlement. The results vary from quite abrupt change in the economy to a process of evolution of existing institutions. The interaction of old and new was complex, not least because it varied in different parts of the lordship.