The barony of Castleknock (Irish: Caisleán Cnucha meaning "Cnucha's Castle") is a feudal title of nobility and one of the baronies of Ireland. Originally part of the Lordship of Meath, it was then constituted as part of the old county of Dublin. Today, it lies in the modern county of Fingal. The barony was created by Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath as his own feudal barony, held directly from himself in capite. His vassals were commonly called "De Lacy's Barons". The first vassal was Hugh Tyrrel. At the heart of the barony is the civil parish of the same name - Castleknock - which is one of eight civil parishes in the barony. In the townland of Castleknock itself is the location of the eponymous "Cnucha's Castle" - Castleknock Castle. The town with the biggest population in the barony is Blanchardstown.
Contents
Location
It is one of seven and a half baronies that used to comprise the old county of Dublin. It stretches from Cabra to Blanchardstown (from east to west) and from Finglas to Chapelizod (from north to south). It is located between the baronies of Coolock to the east, Nethercross to the north and Dublin to the southwest. The River Liffey separates it from the remaining baronies. The whole of the barony is contained within the modern county of Fingal and it is subject to Fingal County Council.
Legal context
Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as subdivisions of counties and were used for administration. At the time of its creation, Castleknock was part of the Lordship of Meath. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for many administrative purposes. While they have been administratively obsolete since 1898, they continue to be used in land registration, and specification such as in planning permissions. In many cases, a barony corresponds to an earlier Gaelic túath which had submitted to the Crown. This is probably true in the case of Castleknock.
Civil parish of Castleknock
What is now the parish of Castleknock was granted by the Lord of Meath to Hugh Tyrrell. Copies of the grant were discovered in the London Public Records Office in 1933 by Eric St. John Brooks. In English, the grant reads:
"Henry, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Aquitaine and Normandy and Count of Anjou to the Archbishops, Bishops, Ministers and all Earls, Barons, Justices, Sheriffs, Ministers and all his faithful French, English and Irish, greeting. Know that I have conceded, given, and by present Charter confirmed to Hugh Tirel, the man of Hugh de Lacy, Thwothyn and Thwothrom."
Brooks deduces that "Thwo" is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic word tuath and that "throm" is an Anglicisation of the word droma which means ridge or hill - a possible reference to the hill of Castleknock where Tyrrell was to build his castle.
Townlands in the civil parish of Castleknock:
Civil parish of Chapelizod
Chapelizod contains a single townland of the same name. However, 465 acres are within the walls of the Phoenix Park while the village proper, outside the walls, contains only 67 acres.
Civil parish of Cloghran
Cloghran consists of three townlands: Ballycoolen, Cloghran and Grange. Most of the land in the parish is taken up with the "Ballycoolen Industrial Estate".
Civil parish of Clonsilla
Townlands in the civil parish of Clonsilla:
Note 1 The largest population centre in Castaheany / Hansfield is Ongar.Civil parish of Finglas
The 34 townlands of the parish of Finglas are split among two baronies. The core village and two smaller parcels of land - exclaves of the village - lie in Castleknock. An additional exclave lies in Nethercross.
Civil parish of Mulhuddart
Mulhuddart has 22 townlands:
Civil parish of St James'
The bulk of St. James' parish lies south of the River Liffey. Two townlands, which are situated north of the river, are part of the barony of Castleknock. They are:
Civil parish of Ward
Townlands in the parish of Ward: Cherryhound, Irishtown, Killamonan, Newpark, Spricklestown, Ward Lower and Ward Upper.
History
The feudal barony was created out of the Lordship of Meath by Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath and granted in 1177 to Hugh Tyrrel. It was held for three and a half knight's fees, owed to the superior Lord of Fingal. The title and lands of Castleknock were held by the Tyrell family until 1370 when Hugh Tyrell and his wife died of the Plague. It later passed to the Viscount Gormanston.