Ratoath (barony)

Ratoath is a barony in County Meath. It comprises ten parishes and portion of two others viz Rathbeggan, Dunshaughlin, Kilbrew, Crickstown, Killegland, Cookstown, Donaghmore, Ratoath, and portions of Ballymaglasson and Trevit.

The Normans landed in Ireland in 1169 and captured the Danish city of Waterford. It is likely that the only cities or strongholds in the country at the time were those founded by the Danes, and of these the most important was Dublin, which was captured soon afterwards by Milo de Cogan and successfully held by him in spite of a long siege by Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, the High King of Ireland, who had the co-operation of the Danes.

Henry II of England arrived in Dublin in 1172 and many of the Gaelic Chieftains made their submission to him, i.e., they recognised him as their feudal lord, who gave them the right or title to the lands they held. In other words, Henry applied to Ireland the Norman or feudal system of land tenure which prevailed on the continent and which the Normans introduced into England. This meant displacing some of the native kings – one of whom was the king of Meath or Tara.

Henry granted Hugh de Lacy “the land of Meath in as full a measure as Murchadh Ó Maoilsheachlainn or anyone before or after him held it.” The technical name of this grant was a Liberty and it meant that, within his Liberty, de Lacy’s power of jurisdiction was equal to that of the king himself with one reservation, that the king could dispose of Church lands anywhere. The person enjoying such liberal delegation of royal jurisdiction was known as a Count and the territory over which he ruled was called a county. One of the privileges of a Count Palatinate, such as de Lacy in this case, was that he could create barons or inferior lords who held their land from the Count. Some time after 1196, the son of Hugh de Lacy, named Walter, granted “the whole land of Rathtowth” to his younger brother, Hugh. Hence we have now the sub-division of the county Meath named the Barony of Ratoath and it has the distinction of being perhaps the first instance that the term, barony, was used in Ireland for a division of a county.

...
Wikipedia