A new survey of lands near Kilkenny Castle will be carried out this week to try to find the lost village of ‘Flemingstown’. The project, led by the Discovery Programme: Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland, and in collaboration with the National Monuments Service, will involve investigations at the Dukesmeadow, an area of parkland estate around Kilkenny Castle. The work is one of eight projects been funded by the Castle Studies Trust in 2026, part of an initiative that will include new surveys at sites in Ireland and in Great Britain.
Kilkenny Castle, managed by the Office of Public Works, is one of the great fortresses of medieval Ireland. The great masonry castle was founded in the first decades of the thirteenth century by William Marshal, better known in England for his prominent role in the creation of the famous Magna Carta in 1215. While the castle survives as one of Kilkenny’s most visible landmarks, much less is known about its now lost Outer Ward and a place known in historical records as ‘Flemingstown’. This appears to be a unique example of a purpose-built castle-settlement for an immigrant artisan community. The survey provides an opportunity to locate it precisely, and to find out more about its layout and topography.
Dr David Stone, who is leading the project for the Discovery Programme, said: “this project is a great opportunity to find out if the ‘lost’ settlement of Flemingstown can be located, and better understood in the medieval landscape of Kilkenny.”
Cóilín Ó Drisceoil, Archaeologist at the National Monuments Service, has been involved in researching Kilkenny’s heritage for many years. Cóilin said “this settlement takes its name from the Flemish settlers who lived here in the early thirteenth century. The community there included weavers, millers and other artisans, either from the area of Pembrokeshire, where one of William Marshal’s main castles was situated, or possibly they came directly from Flanders, in modern-day Belgium.”
David noted “Using earlier surveys in this area we have been able to identify features that indicate archaeology in the Dukesmeadow, at Kilkenny Castle. The site work this week will use geophysical survey techniques to investigate the area, and once we have examined the results we will share them with the wider community in Kilkenny.”
The fieldwork for this survey has been supported by a grant from the Castle Studies Trust. It’s Chairperson, Jeremy Cunnington, said “the Castle Studies Trust is delighted to be funding this survey, as it will help place the great castle in its landscape context and tell us much more about the urban development of Kilkenny.”
Dr John O’Keeffe, Chief Executive Officer with the Discovery Programme welcomed the survey, noting “the work at Kilkenny will be a collaboration of many partners, and I am grateful to our funders, research partners and statutory agencies who have all supported this initiative.”
