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Foreword
CONTENTS

It is generally accepted that the earth is approximately 41/2 billion years old. By comparison, the older rocks in Wicklow are only 1,000 million year~ old.. At that time the area that is now Wicklow was deep under the ocean, and gradually over millions of years the extreme pressure of the earth’s tectonic plates pushed up the mountain range which now form Wicklow and elsewhere. Under the mountain ranges were the molten rocks which gradually cooled to form granite. By approximately 75 million years ago the Wicklow mountains had been eroded to sea level and the granite had become exposed.

Co. Wicklow, more than most Irish counties, owes its topography to the Ice Age. The last major Irish glacial period extended from about 70,000 years before the present to about 10,000 years ago. During this period of time the ice cap reached a thickness of over 1,000 meters.

The gradual receding of the ice cap created the geography of the present day Wicklow comprising glacial valleys, mountain lakes, conies such as Glenmalure, Glenmacnass and cirques. The melting ice in the valleys deposited great heaps of rocks and debris blocking the escape of the corrie lakes.

After the ice age ended and the temperature started to rise, Ireland changed from a type to forest and vegetation. By 6,000 years ago Wicklow was heavily forested with hazel, oak, elm etc.

Over 9,000 years ago the first people started to arrive in Ireland. These were hunter-gatherers who lived off the wild animals and fruit. Gradually over the next 3,000 years or so, later arrivals made some small developments in agriculture. The Bronze Age period of approximate4 in the wotrking of in Wicklow. Evidence of activity in this period can be seen today in standing stones stone circle, wedge tombs

By the late bronze Iron Age period there were early signs of more localised settlement. These are indicated by Fulacht Fiadh and ringforts.

Christianity came to Ireland in the 5th century and it said that Palladius, the bishop sent to Ireland by Pope Celestine in 431, landed at Arklow. Soon afterwards St. Patrick returned to Ireland to start his Irish mission.

One of the greatest of all Irish monastic sites is that associated with St. Kevin at Glendalough. This was a site of importance from the 6th — 1 1th century. Many of the details that have come down to us are more legend than fact. We are told that he lived as a hermit in a small cell near the upper lake now known as St. Kevin’s Bed. He later became Abbot of Glendalough and he built the first church there. There are ruins of seven churches at Glendalough. The Drummond Missal is thought to have been written in Glendalough. - a book of various genealogies and an early Irish psalter.

Vikings.
The earliest documented evidence for Viking activities in Wicklow is dated to 827
AD. The Viking raiders were attracted to coastal settlements where they could easily

plunder a ready supply of materials such as timber, church valuables and slaves. It was also possible to use harbours and estuaries for repair to ships. The name Wicklow may be derived from the old Norse word Vykyngelo meaning possibly Wiggingne Lough (the lake of ships). The Vikings introduced their trading practises, coinage and measures. It was in the middle to late 10th century that the earliest round towers were built. These were for the purpose of safeguarding valuables from Viking or other raiders. Viking power in Ireland came to the end by the victory of Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.

The next crucial stage in Irish and Wicklow history was the Anglo Norman Invasion in 1169. Dermot MacMurrough, the King of Leinster, in order to resolve his dispute over the Irish kingship, sought the help of Henry II, the Anglo-Norman King of England. Pope Adrian 1V (an Englishman, Nicholas Breakspear) gave the King his approval to take whatever action he thought necessary. The area of the east coast of Ireland from south Dublin to Wicklow was known as the territory of Ui Briuin Cualann and passed on the death of MacMurrough in 1171 to the Norman Richard de Clare, better known as Strongbow.

The lands at Bray were granted to Walter de Riddlesford. The Normans were responsible for the construction of one of the most defensive structures at Newcastle McKyneyon.

The Shiring of Co. Wicklow.
During the 14th and 15th centuries the native Irish clans, principally the O’Byrnes and the O’Tooles, continued to make war on the Anglo Normans. The English authorities viewed the Anglo Norman invaders as very hostile and made several attempts to subdue the Gaelic Chieftains. In 1535 the Chief of the 0’ Byrnes submitted to King Henry VIII and requested that his territory be shired. In 1578 the authorities were planning to form the new County of Wicklow. Sir Henry Harrington was granted the County of Shillelagh to hold for 21 years. However these attempts were halted, after the Lord Deputy’s Army (Lord Gray), was destroyed by Fiach McHugh O’Moore at the battle of Glenmalure in 1580. McHugh was again in conflict with authorites for his part in the reserve of the Gaelic Princes Red Hugh O’Donnell and Art and Henry O’Neill. Despite further success by the O’Byrnes over Sir Henry Harrington, it was difficult to hold out against the Crown forces. The defeat of the Irish at Kinsale in 1601 signalled the end of the old way of Gaelic Ireland, and the flight of the Earls completed this phase.

It was now possible to bring the O’Byrne country under the control of Dublin Castle and the county was finally shired in 1606. Wicklow was the last county to be shired.

In 1603 Sir Richard Wingfield was granted the Manor of Powerscourt. His kinsman
Jacques Wingfield had been Master of Ordnance in Queen Elizabeth’s Irish Army.
The Powerscourt lands had previously been in the possession of the O’Tooles.

In 1618, Sir. William Brabazon (later to become the first Earl of Meath), was granted the castle and lands of Kilruddeiy by King James I.

In 1666 the manor and lands of great Bray were divided between Edward II, Earl of Meath and Oliver Tyrconnell. This gave the Brabazon family ownership of the greater part of Bray.

The Earl of Stratford, Thomas Wentworth, who was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1632, had acquired approximately 60,000 acres in Co. Wicklow. Much of this land was in half barony of Shillelagh, which had been granted to Sir John Harrington in 1578. These great woodlands provided sources of fuel in smelting iron ore, which was imported from Wales as pigiron.

After the execution of Black Tom Wentworth at Tyburn, London in 1641, an ongoing
series of disputes arose over his lands at Shillelagh which were called the Fairwood.
Eventually through succession the lands came into the possession of Thomas WatsonWentworth who later became Earl of Malton. These lands later passed to Coolattin.
This estate amounted to about 80,000 acres.

Others of the large estates in Co. Wickiw were those of Howard Family, Earls of
Wicklow; the Earls of Carysford (Proby), the Downshire Estates; the large Beresford,
Hugo and See of Dublin estates were mostly of barren mountain. Some other large
landowners included the families of Moore, Cunnighame, Synge, Whaley,
Hutchinson, Parnell, Grattan and Acton.

Copyright © Wicklow 400 2006. All rights reserved.