Startling discovery of lost Norman town
THE astonishing story of a Norman town lost for centuries is being brought back to life.
Cutting edge LIDAR technology, deployed by armed forces to detect underground bunkers, has uncovered the streets, towns and dwellings of an early Norman settlement known as Newtown just outside Thomastown.
Within 15 miles of Kilkenny, the medieval settlement has been the focus of a recent archaeological dig backed up by the latest technology to tell the story of what has been described as ’Kilkenny’s Pompeii.’
Newtown, which contains the site of St Nicholas Church, has long been known as a site of historical importance. Apart from local legend, the site next to Belmore House has been earmarked as one of historical importance dating back over 100 years when it first appeared on an ordnance survey map.
Recent discoveries with the help of technology, and also the unearthing of a tombstone for a 13th century monk called Thomas Poer, has shined a spotlight on medieval life at the settlement. Read more.
