The bustling Norman ville of Ros was unusual in Ireland in that it had no protective wall surrounds for the first sixty years of its existence.

It's vulnerability - for it was very rich - was, however, an illusion. It was protected in a manner more effective than that normally provided by mortar and stone. Leinster's chief Gaelic family, the descendants of Dermot's eldest illegitimate son, ruled in large parts of the surrounding countryside, and held their hand over their kinsman William Marshal's town. William and his sons had seen to it that the MacMurroughs were rewarded for keeping potential marauders at bay and Ros was permitted to thrive.

However, when trouble struck it was amongst the Normans themselves. Walter de Burgh (Burke) who, intend on subduing his vassel Maurice Fitzgerald, began to lay waste to areas of Geraldine interest which in this case included Ros.

The burgers of the town, unused to having their streets reduced to a battlefield, decided to throw a fosse and wall around the town to keep out the troublesome knights. Hired help was slow, so the towns people, guild by guild decided to dig out a mighty ditch of twenty feet in width for a kilometre and half around the town. All sixteen guilds took part and on Sundays the ladies of the town took over the work.

An appreciative "trouvere" and poet, writing in old French - the language of the town, describe this gallant enterprise in a long and famous poem, whose manuscript is still extant.

On the panel, the guilds are seen marching up the steep incline from the town centre, to take up their shift. The ladies with some children arrive to see what their Sunday work will be like, and earth from the huge fosse is drawn down to the town to establish a garden. The banners shown are those of among many others, the guilds of masons, drapers and vintners of Ros.

On the upper border armourers and blacksmiths
are at work.

Below Sir Maurice and Sir Walter thrash it out up St. Mary's street while the inhabitants flee. The young man pens his poem as the girls pass on their way to the walls.