Publisher's Synopsis
Reviews all of the archaeological evidence for medieval Man. Takes into account developments in thinking on both sides of the Irish Sea. Attempts to place the archaeology in the context of much new thinking by medieval historians. Takes into account recent developments in palaeo-environmental studies in the Irish Sea area. Contains a good deal of new and previously unpublished material. This is the first book to provide an overview of the archaeological evidence from the Isle of Man between the foundation of the Kingdom of the Isles in the 11th century and the Dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th. There is an extended topographical and historical introduction including an assessment of the Viking legacy. This is followed by consideration of the seats of both secular power: ring forts, mottes and baileys, Peel Castle and Castle Rushen and monastic influence: the 'early' abbeys, Rushen Abbey, Myroscough Abbey, Douglas Priory, Bemaken Friary and the alien abbeys. The role of the Church and the surviving evidence of keeills, parish churches, chapels and the Cathedral of St German are considered. Patterns of settlement and land use, industry, economy and trade are reviewed and the legacy of the Middle Ages is assessed.
