Welsh Journals

Scottish crown in 1500 was far removed from the debility of 1400, and the change was not merely one of personality. In the last essay, an admirable study of the lordship of the Isles and Gaelic society, John Bannerman regards as obvious 'the conformist and unitary influences of central government' that Dr. Brown seems to discount. Such incongruities are to be welcomed rather than viewed askance in a collaborative work that is intended to stimulate and succeeds in doing so. They are a reminder that the Scottish quattrocentro still holds the attrac- tion of mysteries unsolved. RANALD NICHOLSON Isle of Bute THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE IRISH TOWN. Edited by R. A. Butlin. Croom Helm Historical Geography Series, London, 1977. Pp. 144. £ 6.95. This collection of four essays surveying the development of the Irish town is the work of three geographers. R. A. Butlin, the editor of the volume and of the Croom Helm Historical Geography Series of which it is a part, wrote the first chapter, 'Urban and Proto-Urban Settlements in Pre-Norman Ireland'. Using the term 'urban' in a broad sense to indicate a substantial population settlement whose inhabitants are engaged in such non-rural pursuits as the redistribution of goods, religious, administrative, ceremonial, or cultural activities, Butlin argues that there were indeed forms of urban life in pre-Norman Ireland. He suggests that the ring-forts (raths) and hill-forts existing in Ireland as the historic period opened could in some instances, as in certain towns of Ulster, have evolved into urban centres. The arrival of Christianity in Ireland in the fifth century and the consequent establishment of monasteries and headquarters for episcopal administration is noted as another stimulus for urban development. The Vikings also are given credit for introducing towns in the form of fortified harbours, such as Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, and Cork, as these fortified sites soon developed into trading stations. The second essay, 'The Towns of Medieval Ireland', was written by B. J. Graham. His concern is primarily with the impact upon urbanization of the Anglo-Norman invaders who first appeared in Ireland in 1169 and who controlled about two-thirds of the island by the mid-thirteenth century, and with the period of decline ensuing thereafter of the colonial centres and thus of the towns of Ireland. Graham is of the opinion that urban development in the medieval period was almost singularly the result of the 'Norman' presence, but it must be noted that towns (for Graham) are those settlements in possession of a charter, a definition he admits is not altogether satisfactory. The general pattern of Norman urbanization was invasion, followed by military pacification and the granting of fiefs, and subsequent settlement, which on occasion resulted in the establishment of towns recognized by charters. Geographically, the greatest number of towns was established in the east and south-east, with a progressive decline in density towards the north and west. Not surprisingly, Graham found that the most successful