The barony of Castleknock ( ga, Caisleán Cnucha meaning "Cnucha's Castle")Barony of Castleknock
/ref> is one of the

baronies of Ireland In Ireland, a barony ( ga, barúntacht, plural ) is a historical subdivision of a county, analogous to the hundreds into which the counties of England were divided. Baronies were created during the Tudor reconquest of Ireland, replacing the ear ...

. Originally part of the

Lordship of Meath The Lordship of Meath was an extensive seigneurial Liberty (division), liberty in medieval History of Ireland (1169–1536), Ireland that was awarded to Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, Hugh de Lacy by King Henry II of England by the service of fifty ...

, it was then constituted as part of the historic County Dublin. Today, it lies in the modern county of

Fingal Fingal ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which was disestablished for administrative purposes in 1994. ...

, Ireland. The barony was originally also a feudal title, which became one of the subsidiary titles of the Viscounts Gormanston.

History

The barony was created by

Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, 4th Baron Lacy (; before 1135 – 25 July 1186), was an Anglo-Norman landowner and royal office-holder. He had substantial land holdings in Herefordshire and Shropshire. Following his participation in the Norman Inva ...

, as his own feudal barony, to be held directly from himself ''

in capite In old English law, a capite (from Latin ''caput'', head) was a tenure, abolished by Act 12 Chas. II, xxiv. (Tenures Abolition Act 1660), by which either person or land was held immediately of the king, or of his crown, either by knight-service or ...

'' (his vassals were commonly called "De Lacy's Barons".) The first vassal was Hugh Tyrrel in

1177 Year 1177 ( MCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January – Eystein Meyla, leader of the Birkebeiner in Norway, is killed. Sverre ...

. It was held for three and a half knight's fees, owed to the superior Lord of

. 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.

Location

At the heart of the barony is the civil parish of the same name -

Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent suburb located west of the centre of Dublin city, Ireland. It is centered on the village of the same name in Fingal. In addition to the suburb, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: ...

- 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 Castleknock Castle is a ruined Norman castle located on the grounds of present-day all boys independent school Castleknock College, Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland. Description "The position of the castle is commanding, and its two deep ditches ...

. The town with the biggest population in the barony is Blanchardstown. 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 Finglas (; ) is a northwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It lies close to Junction 5 of the M50 motorway, and the N2 road. Nearby suburbs include Glasnevin and Ballymun; Dublin Airport is to the north. Finglas lies mainly in the p ...

to Chapelizod (from north to south). The Castleknock barony is located between the baronies of Coolock to the east, Nethercross to the north and

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

to the southeast. The

River Liffey The River Liffey ( Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the Ri ...

separates it from the remaining baronies of County Dublin. With the exception of the parish of Chapelizod, the remainder of the barony is contained within the modern county of

and it is subject to Fingal County Council.

Legal context

Baronies were created after the

Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of Kingdom of England, England then claimed sovereignty ...

as subdivisions of counties and were used for administration. At the time of its creation, Castleknock was part of the

. 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 specifications such as in planning permissions. In many cases, a barony corresponds to an earlier Gaelic ''

túath ''Túath'' (plural ''túatha'') is the Old Irish term for the basic political and jurisdictional unit of Gaelic Ireland. ''Túath'' can refer to both a geographical territory as well the people who lived in that territory. Social structure In ...

'' which had submitted to the Crown. This is probably true in the case of Castleknock.

Civil parishes

Civil parish of Castleknock

What is now the parish of

was granted to Hugh Tyrrel by

. 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.''The Grant of Castleknock to Hugh Tyrel.'', The journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 7th series; Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland; Dublin Hodges, Figgis; 3v.; English; Holdings: Vol. 1-vol. 3; 1931-1933.; Also numbered vol. 61-63 of consecutive series. Continues 6th series; University of Liverpool Libraries

Brooks deduces that "Thwo" is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic word ''

'' 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:Castleknock civil parish
/ref> * Not to be confused with Huntstown in Mulhuddart.

Civil parish of Chapelizod

Chapelizod contains a single townland of the same name. However, 465 acres are within the walls of the

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tr ...

while the village proper, outside the walls, contains only 67 acres. It is the only part of the barony that is not within the modern county of Fingal. It is administered by

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council ...

Civil parish of Cloghran

The parish of Cloghran consists of three townlands.Cloghran civil parish
/ref> 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:Clonsilla civil parish
/ref> :Note 1 The largest population centre in Castaheany / Hansfield is Ongar.

Civil parish of Finglas

The 34 townlands of the parish of

are split among two baronies.Finglas civil parish
/ref> The core village and two smaller parcels of land - exclaves of the village - lie in Castleknock. An additional

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

lies in Nethercross. Trading estate in the Tolka Valley - geograph.org.uk - 593692.jpg, Trading estate in the townland of Ballyboggan South Ballygall House.jpg, Ballygall House in the townland of Ballygall Old N2 at Balseskin, North of Finglas, Co. Dublin - geograph.org.uk - 1271824.jpg, Old N2 road at the townland of Balseskin Car Breakers' Yard, Finglas - geograph.org.uk - 511083.jpg, Breaker's yard in the townland of Cardiffsbridge Finglas Garda Station - geograph.org.uk - 491629.jpg, Garda station in the townland of Cardiffscastle Charlestown Shopping Centre complex.JPG, Charlestown Shopping Centre in the townland of Charlestown N1, looking south, Coldwinters, Co. Dublin. - geograph.org.uk - 906081.jpg, Old N1 road at the townland of Coldwinters County Dublin - Killreesk Bridge (Kilreesk) - 20190505202241.jpg, Bridge in the townland of Kilreesk R135 (old N2) at Kilshane, Co. Dublin - geograph.org.uk - 1271768.jpg, Old N2 road at the townland of Kilshane Seamus Ennis 5.jpg, Seamus Ennis plaque in the townland of Jamestown Little IKEA - BALLYMUN, DUBLIN, IRELAND - panoramio (2).jpg, IKEA store in the townland of Poppintree Finglas Prospect H 130323-01.jpg, Prospect apartment blocks in the townland of Tolka

Civil parish of Mulhuddart

Mulhuddart has 22 townlands, including:Mulhuddart civil parish
/ref>

Civil parish of Saint James'

The bulk of Saint James' parishSaint James' civil parish
/ref> lies south of the

. A single townland, situated north of t