Landscape, layout and lordship in medieval Maynooth, Ireland

This paper examines how the layout of the medieval manor of Maynooth, Co. Kildare, in Ireland was used to display the social status and power of the lord, to both his tenants and to his peers. With the castle as the central focus of the manor, this was achieved in two main ways. Firstly, the manor was physically arranged to provide a viewing spectacle from the castle to its lands and from the lands to the castle. Secondly, the landscape was manipulated to provide access to resources and to demonstrate lordly control over those resources.