Castle - motte and bailey

The National Monuments Service's description

On an esker at the W-edge of Rathmore village, a former Anglo-Norman borough (KD020-009001-), c. 200m S of the Hartwell River, a small, W-flowing tributary of the River Liffey. Medieval church site (KD020-009005-) and graveyard (KD020-009006-) located immediately to S. According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 4, 428-30), while the first direct reference to a castle at Rathmore is not until the 16th century, there can be little doubt that the motte was erected in the late-12th/13th century.
Present remains consist of a substantial, steep-sided, grass-covered, conical mound (base diam. 46m N-S; summit diams. 17m E-W; 13m N-S; H. c. 15m above base of fosse) is girdled by an inner fosse (Wth 7.5m), a broad, high, outer bank (Wth. 12m at W - 18m at E; int. H 3m at W - 7m at E), and a second, very broad, outer fosse (Wth 17m at W; int D 6m) which has been overlain by a road to the E, a laneway to the S and is quarried away along the N. Long the object of gravel-extraction for road-making and repair (Mayo 1896-99, 113; Hendrick-Aylmer 1899-1902, 380-1) which also resulted in the discovery of burials (KD020-009009-) and an Early Historic bronze bracelet in its environs, the probable bailey immediately N of the motte was noted in 1955 (SMR file) as having been 'laid bare for sand to within a few yards of the motte.

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy

Updated by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 12 March 2015

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 17/1956).

References

Bradley, J., Halpin, A., and King, H.A. 1986 Urban Archaeological Survey - County Kildare (4 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Hendrick-Aylmer, H. 1899-1902 Rathmore. Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society 3, 372-81.

Mayo, Earl of, 1896-8 Rathmore: the big rath. Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society 2, 112-5.