The Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish: Vengeance and Heresy in Medieval Ireland

305 Pages·2014·2.149 MB·English

by  Maeve Brigid Callan

(cid:2)
THE TEMPLARS,
THE WITCH, AND
THE WILD IRISH

THE TEMPLARS,
n
THE WITCH,
AND THE
WILD IRISH
VENGEANCE AND HERESY
IN MEDIEVAL IRELAND
Maeve Brigid Callan
CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS
Ithaca
Cover photograph: An alder tree grows from the ruins of
the Templars’ Loghnehely manor (Templehouse) in County
Sligo. Photograph by Maeve Brigid Callan.
Copyright © 2015 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review,
this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any
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For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage
House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.
First published 2015 by Cornell University Press
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Callan, Maeve Brigid, 1970– author.
The Templars, the witch, and the wild Irish : vengeance
and heresy in medieval Ireland / Maeve Brigid Callan.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8014-5313-7 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Ireland—Church history—600–1500. 2. Trials
(Heresy)—Ireland—History—To 1500. 3. Trials
(Witchcraft)—Ireland—History—To 1500. I. Title.
BR794.C35 2015
282ʹ.41509023—dc23 2014022145
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responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent
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Cloth printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Seth, Finnian, and Hunter

As you well know, heretics have never been found in
Ireland; rather, it is customarily called the isle of saints.
Now, however, some foreigner comes from England
and says we are all heretics and excommunicants,
claiming for himself some papal constitutions that
we have never heard of before now. And since
defamation of this land touches every one of us,
you all ought to unite against this man.
—Arnold le Poer at the Dublin Parliament, May 1324

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Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Abbreviations xiii
Chronology of Key Events xvii
Map xxii
Introduction 1
1. Heresy Hunting Begins in Ireland:
The Trial of the Templars and the
Case against Philip de Braybrook 31
2. The Dawn of the Devil-
Worshipping Witch 78
3. The Churlish Tramp from England:
Richard de Ledrede Tries the
Alice Kyteler Case 117
4. Moments of Lucidity Dedicated
to Malice: Ledrede’s Continuing
Conflicts in the Colony 149
5. The Heresy of Being Irish:
Adducc Dubh O’Toole and
Two MacConmaras 188
Conclusion 235
Appendix A: The Articles against
the Templars in Ireland 243
Appendix B: The Charges against
Alice Kyteler and Associates 247
Bibliography 249
Index 273