William Marshal (c.1146-1219), earl of Pembroke and lord of Leinster, has been described as 'the greatest knight that ever lived' and from 1207 to 1213. Kilkenny was at the centre of his lordship. This publication - the proceedings of a conference held in Kilkenny to mark the 800th anniversary of William Marshal's charter of rights to the city - brings together historians and archaeologists to examine, for the first time in an Irish context, his life and legacy. Contents: David Crouch, William Marshal in exile; Adrian Empey, The organization of William Marshal's demesne in the lordship of Leinster; Billy Colfer, William Marshal's settlement strategy in county Wexford; John Bradley, William Marshal's charter to Kilkenny city; Gillian Kenny, Isabel Marshal and her role in the lordship of Leinster; Ben Murtagh, The problem of a great tower at William Marshal's Kilkenny Castle; Daniel Tietzsch-Tyler, William Marshal's Castle at Kilkenny in c.1395: a new reconstruction; Miriam Clyne (with an appendix by Daniel Tietzsch-Tyler), Kells and its priory; C il n Drisceoil, The Marshal's town at New Ross; Alexis Bernstorff, The Ros tapestry: a Norman odyssey unfolds in thread.