Nobber

Nobber (Irish: an Obair, meaning "the work" – referring to a moat around a Norman castle) is a village in north County Meath, Ireland.The village is built near a river called the Dee (from Irish Abha Fherdiea, meaning "river of Ferdia") and near Whitewood Lake which is situated in the town land of Whitewood. It is on the Navan–Kingscourt road (R162) about 12 miles (19 km) north of Navan. This places the village about 37 miles (60 km) from the M50 motorway ; the orbital motorway of Dublin. The town of Kells is to the west and the town of Ardee to the east and the town of Kingscourt is to the north. Villages that border the parish are Kilmainhamwood, Moynalty and Kilbeg to the west, Castletown to the south and Drumconrath and Lobinstown to the east.

History

The Normans were the first known people to settle at Nobber. It acted as a strong point on the road from the ports of Drogheda and Dundalk to the midlands. The Lordship of Meath was granted to Hugh De Lacy by King Henry II of England in 1172 in his capacity as Lord of Ireland. De Lacy granted the Barony of Morgallion to Gilbert de Angulo, who constructed a moate and bailey there. Recently several high crosses were discovered in the village's old cemetery (St Johns) dating from possibly the 10th century. These are much smaller and less ornate than typical Celtic high crosses. This find is significant because it suggests that a hitherto unrecorded monastic settlement once existed on the site of the village. Moynagh Lake west of the village is the site of a multi-period crannog which dates to Mesolithic times. In the Medieval period Nobber was the chief town of the Barony of Morgallion.