Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

Castle Bawne (DG024-004----/DG024-004001-): The lands of Ballyness were granted to Henry Hart in 1611 (Hill 1877, 325). He subsequently sold them to Wybrant Olphert a Dutch protestant and in 1619, there were 'a stone fort, and house in it . . . . in which there is an English family' (Hill 1887, 524; Maguire, II, 1920, 280). In 1622, Olphert who was then resident in Derry is described as having repaired the 'old bawn in some parts . . . . which bawn lyeth waste' (Treadwell 1953-5, 43). In 1654-6, the lands were in the possession of his son (Simmington 1937, 114). The ruins of Castle Bawne are situated on a precipitous cliff ledge where the Tullaghobegly river enters the sea. The remains of this small rubble-built polygonal bawn comprise the ivy-covered N wall with doorway, the NE corner and fragmentary section of the E wall and the lower courses and underpinning of the S wall and SW corner; there is no visible trace of the W extent of the enclosure. The N wall, 3.15m in maximum height, has lost much of its lower facing. The lintelled doorway preserves the draw-bar hole and socket and has an interior hall-like feature, the walls of which are 2.5m high. The doorway had a lintelled rear-arch supported by a timber cross-beam. A section of a splayed ingoing W of the entrance may be the remains of a loop and stone steps incorporated in the thickness of the N wall gave access to the top of the hallway from the E. It is possible that this N wall formed the N limit of a house (DG024-004002-) at this end of the bawn; there is no visible trace, however, of any internal structure or wall. The underpinning of the E wall gives a slight batter to the exterior face. Immediately N of Castle Bawne the land has been scarped to accommodate two mill races.

The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Date of upload: 22 September 2008