The Statutes of Kilkenny

Posts in The Copybook tagged ‘The Statutes of Kilkenny’

1
Beyond the Pale The Statutes of Kilkenny

Lionel of Clarence, Edward III’s younger son, went to Ireland as his Lieutenant in order to stop English expats becoming like the Irish.

In 1366, Edward III’s son Lionel presided over a parliament in Kilkenny in Ireland. The issue was the Pale, the area around Dublin that was under English law, and disturbing reports that many Englishmen had so intermingled with the Irish beyond it that one could hardly tell them apart. Amongst several other Statutes, the English were strictly commanded to keep to their own language and customs.

Read