Nobber motte, constructed by Hugh de Lacy in the 12th century, served as the ‘caput’ (head) of the Barony of Morgallion. Over the years, ownership of the motte and the manor of Nobber passed through many hands—from the de Angulos, back to the de Lacys, to the Fitzgeralds, and finally to the Prestons.

In the 15th century, as English control in Ireland shrank to the area around Dublin known as The Pale, Norman settlements on the frontier, like Nobber (though there was an earlier Gaelic settlement here) became vulnerable to attacks by Gaelic Irish armies. In 1425, the McMahons from Oriel burned Nobber and captured 80 Norman prisoners. Not long after, in 1434, the Annals of Ulster records:

“Ua Neill went with a great host a week before the feast of St.Michael this year to destroy the Foreigners of Meath and Ua Domnaill, with his host, was with Ua Neill on that expedition and the host of the whole Province of Ulster was with him……And afterwards the sons of Ua Neill, namely, Henry and Aedh, went to burn the Obair. But, whilst they were burning it, Stanley the deputy of the king came upon them and proceeded to pursue them. Henry and Aedh remained at the rear of their people and brought them off safe with them spiritedly, prosperously that day.”

Due to its strategic position on the Ulster-Meath border, Nobber was reinforced in 1573 with 40 horsemen and carbines under the Earl of Kildare’s command. The motte is also recorded as being in use as late as 1648, during the Confederate War (when both Gaelic and Norman alike rebelled against the Crown), where it was used as a fort by the Parliamentarian Army.

In the illustration, the motte and its palisade wall are depicted as a square, though they were actually circular. This is the best I could do using AI and Photoshop, unfortunately, but I think the image still conveys how imposing the fort would have been in its heyday. Nobber motte stands almost 8 meters tall, has traces of an adjoining bailey (a courtyard with barracks and outbuildings), and controlled a crucial crossing point over the River Dee.

Sources

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National Monuments Service, Monument ME005-070, Available at https://maps.archaeology.ie/HistoricEnvironment/ (Aug. 23, 2025)

Daniel Brown, Hugh de Lacy, First Earl of Ulster: Rising and Falling in Angevin Ireland (Woodbridge, 2016), p. 249

Charles Mount, ‘Notes on the history of the manor of Nobber’ in Riocht na Midhe, Volume 19 (2008), pp. 79-84

The Annals of Ulster, U1434.3, Available at https://celt.ucc.ie (Aug. 23, 2025)

Noel French, Nobber-A Step Back in Time (Trim, 1991), Available at https://meathhistoryhub.ie/nobber-a-step-back-in-time/ (Aug. 23, 2025)