Adam de Hereford was one of the first generation of Norman colonisers in Ireland.

Naval commander

He was the Norman commander at a naval battle in 1174 when a fleet of thirty-two ships from

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, carrying armed men under the command of Gilbert, son of Turgerius, who was presumably an Ostman, attacked a group of Normans who had just plundered Lismore. The Ostmen, who fought with

sling Sling may refer to: Places *Sling, Anglesey, Wales * Sling, Gloucestershire, England, a small village in the Forest of Dean People with the name * Otto Šling (1912–1952), repressed Czech communist functionary Arts, entertainment, and media * ...

s and

axe An axe (; sometimes spelled ax in American English; American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for thousands of years to shape, split, a ...

s, were defeated by the Normans, who fought with bows and

arbalest The arbalest (also arblast), a variation of the crossbow, came into use in Europe around the 12th century. The arbalest was a large weapon with a steel prod, or bow assembly. Since the arbalest was much larger than earlier crossbows, and becau ...

s. Adam is referenced also in the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' Cornellin as Dungarvan. Ware annals reference Dungarvan at battle site. Orpen says that it is not quite clear in which port the fight took place. While he says that

Dungarvan Dungarvan () is a coastal town and harbour in County Waterford, on the south-east coast of Ireland. Prior to the merger of Waterford County Council with Waterford City Council in 2014, Dungarvan was the county town and administrative centre of ...

is named in the ''Book of Howth'' and in Bray's ''Conquest of Ireland'', he thinks that

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long ...

harbour was the more likely site.

Land

After de Hereford was given large territories by Strongbow, he granted lands at what is now Castlewarden, along with Wochtred (

Oughter Ard Oughterard (; , "a high place") is an ecclesiastical hilltop site, graveyard, townland, and formerly a parish, borough and royal manor in County Kildare, nowadays part of the community of Ardclough, close to the Dublin border. It is the burial ...

), both in County Kildare, to the Abbey of St Thomas in Dublin, leading to the foundation of St. Wolstan's Priory. In 1219, the Norman landowners, Warrisius de Peche, of the Manor of Lucan and Adam de Hereford, Lord of Leixlip, (Strongbow's right-hand man, and the Norman knight responsible for the construction of Leixlip Castle in 1172) granted to the brethren known as the order of the canons of St. Victor, the lands of St Katherine's, the

Prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

John Warrisius, Bishop of

Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

Simon Rochfort Simon Rochfort (also Simon de Rupeforti; died 1224) was an English bishop of Meath in Ireland. Life Rochfort was the first Englishman to hold the see of Meath, to which he was consecrated in 1194. He was one of the judges appointed by Pope Inn ...

and the Archbishop of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Henry de Loundres Henry de Loundres (died 1228 in Ireland, 1228) was an Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman churchman who was Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic), Archbishop of Dublin from 1213 in Ireland, 1213 to 1228. He was an influential figure in the reign of John ...

are mentioned in the documents. Among the lands bestowed by Strongbow on de Hereford was half the

vill Vill is a term used in English, Welsh and Irish history to describe a basic rural land unit, roughly comparable to that of a parish, manor, village or tithing. Medieval developments The vill was the smallest territorial and administrative unit� ...

Aghaboe Aghaboe () is a small village in County Laois, Ireland. It is located on the R434 regional road in the rural hinterland west of the town of Abbeyleix. It contains the ruins of the Abbey of Aghaboe which was founded by St. Canice in the Oss ...

. This land presumably included what is now the townland of Rathpiper South in County Laois, where one of his descendants, Pipard, is believed to have been the builder of a castle less than one kilometre to the south-west of Coolkerry Castle. Although the castle is no longer to be seen, it was marked on the first Ordnance Survey map and has been said

William Carrigan William Carrigan (29 August 1860 – 12 December 1924) was an Irish Roman Catholic priest and historian, who was appointed canon of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory, Diocese of Ossory. Early life William Carrigan was the youngest of 13 ch ...

The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory, Volume 1
(1905), page 6 to have been still standing in 1836.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hereford, Adam de Year of birth missing Year of death missing Normans in Ireland Norman warriors