Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

Tully House located 170m E of Tully Preceptory (KD022-034----) of the Knights Hosptiallers was the late 16th/17th century residence of the Sarsfield family and the manorial house or castle of the manor of Tully. In 1837 Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland recorded that Tully House was then the residence of William Dunne (Lewis 1837, 657). This house was possibly built on the site or incorporated remains of the medieval castle. Regarding this possible castle location, Fitzgerald (1903-5, 128, 130) recorded the following; ‘Of Tully castle not one stone stands on another: the house lately occupied by Mr. James Fay probably was built out of the materials.’ Tully House depicted on the 1838 ed.; OS 6-inch map was levelled and replaced by a modern Tully House which stands today in the Japanese Gardens on the grounds of the Irish National Stud. Archaeological monitoring under licence number 98E0288 of topsoil-stripping in connection with the construction of a coach park and new roadway adjacent to the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens, part of the Kildare Town Bypass project, revealed some material of archaeological interest. The main feature discovered was a deposit of over one hundred glazed potsherds of medieval date, some animal bones, molluscs and other domestic refuse. This deposit is considered to have been in a secondary position and used as infill on marshy ground. The finds were probably originally associated with a Commandery of the Knights Hospitallers established at nearby Tully House in the early 13th century.
An inquisition into the lands of the dissolved preceptory (KD022-034----) at Tully was held at Kildare on the 25th of November, 1540. The possessions of the preceptory were described in this inquisition as consisting of 'a castle or fortilage necessary for the farmer, with orchard, garden, 60 acr. ar.[able] of the demesne lands and 2 acr. p.[asture]; 60s. ... In the v.[icarage], 3 mess.[uages], 100 acr. ar. ; Dermot Trury and others; 100s., and customs, 4 ploughdays, 4 cartdays, 2 hooks, and 1 hen, 10.s. 6.d. A cottage; 2s., and customs, 2 hooks and 1 hen, 6d. A watermill, 26s 8d.' (White 1943, 96; Fitzgerald 1903-5, 130-1). A corn mill located 450m to S may be the watermill or possibly the two stone water chute stones known as 'St Brigid's kneeling stones' (KD027-010002-) at Brallistown Commons located 345m to the SW may have been part of this watermill. In 1837 Ordnance Survey letters recorded that the tower of the abbey was 'of a square form, and called Castle in common, as yet remains in the ruins' (OSL RIA 14/D/4/13(iv)). In 1569 Queen Elizabeth I granted Sir William Sarcefeld [Sarsfield], 'the preceptory of Tully, county Kildare, the lands of Tully, Moreton, Frereton, Bralessan, Terwen, and Prompelan, same county, of the possessions of the priory of Kilmaynan, the rectories of Tulley, Downene, Rathbride, Calveston, and Founteston, impropriate to the said preceptory,the tithe-corn of Moreton by Kilca, Kilcale by Connall, Kilcorke, and Ballyenlen, same county. To hold for twenty-one years from 1596, at a rent of £22 13s. 4d. Maintaining an English horseman. Provisions as in 1245. Recites a lease by the prior and brethren of S. John of Jerusalem in Ireland, 1535, to David Sutton, of Rathforyd, gent., for sixty-one years' (Nicholls 1994, 180-1).
Tully House became the manorial house of the manor of Tully established in the 17th century. The manor of Tully was granted to Henry Harrington which included the 'site of the manor or preceptory of Tullie, co. Kildare, the demesne lands, the lands of Tully, with a mill, Mooretown, and Frereton, with the customs of the tenants, land in Bralessen, Treven and Prompellan, co. Kildare ; the rectories of Tully, Downen, Rathbride, and Calveston, and the tithes of Ballyenlen, Frereton, Mooreton by Kilkae, Kilkale by Connall, and Kilkorke, belonging to the said preceptory, (rent £21 6s. 8d.); the lands of Rosberie, Scarleston, Moorton, and Richardeston, co. Kildare, and their tithes, and the tithes of Cornelescorte, same co., possessions of the priory of Connall, same co., (rent £7 11s. 4d.) To hold in tail male, by the service of a twentieth part of a knight's fee. Rent £27 8s., as above, and rendering yearly 10 bushels of wheat and barley malt, and 10 bushels of oat malt' (Nicholls 1994, 513).
In 1615 King James I granted Philip Hore lands including the 'the preceptory or manor of Tully, containing the site thereof, 3 houses, a cottage, an orchard, a garden, 160a arable, 2a pasture, a mill, and the customs of the tenants—Moretowne, containing 2 houses, a cottage, the customs of the tenants, and 80a ; Frereton, containing 2 houses, a cottage, the like customs, and 60a; Bralissan, containing a house and 6a; Trenen otherwise Tribune end Prompelane, 20a; the rectories of Tully, Downy otherwise Downeny, Rathbride, and Calwestowne; the tithes and alterages of Frereton, parcel of Rathbride rect. the tithes of Mooretowne near Kilca; the tithes of Kilcale otherwise Kilbelane near Connall; the tithes of Killcorcke; rent, £22 13s 4d, and 20 pecks of port-corn at Naas on the Purification—the towns and lands of Rossberry, Skarlestowne, Mooretone, and Richardston, containing a castle or fort, 8 houses, and 100a; rent, £4 1s 4d—the corn-tithes of the said last-mentioned lands and the tithes of Cornelliscourt; rent, £3 10s 0d; to hold all these lands and premises from the preceptory of Tully inclusive, in capite, by the 20th part of a knight's fee' (Griffith 1966, 292). The condition of this grant stated that Philip was to hold 'the receptory of Tully and all the premises to Cornellscourt, to him, and his heirs, so long as the heirs male of the body of sir Henry Harrington, knt, shall die without issue male; the reversion to the Crown' (ibid.).
In 1628 the manor of Tully was created when King Charles I granted 'Peter Sarsfield, as assignee of Philip Percivall, of the site of the manor and preceptory of Tully, with the appurtenances, in the county of Kildare, and several lands, tenements, rectories, and tithes, parcel of the temporal and spiritual possesions of the preceptory, in the county of Kildare; to be held in capite, by the twentieth part of knight's fee. The lands are erected into a manor, to be called the manor of Tully; with liberty to hold two fairs, one at the town of Tully, on St. Bartholomew's Day, the 24th August; and the other on the feast of St. Swithin, being the 15th of July, at the town of Rosbery; and two markets, one on every Wednesday, at Tully, and the other at Rosbery on every Saturday' (Morrin 1863, 355).
In 1632 an inquisition into the lands of the deceased Patrick Sarsfield of Tully recorded that his estate included the manor, preceptory (KD022-034----) and lands of Tully, Friartown and Brallistown, 1 castle, 10 messuages, 1 watermill (KD027-049----) and 226 acres of land in Rosberry, Scarletstown, Moortown and Richardstown, 1 castle, 10 messuages and 150 acres the rectory church of Tully, Downen, Rathbride etc.’ (Anon. 1826, 35 Car. I).
In 1647 during the Irish Confederate Wars, Tully Preceptory (KD022-034----) served as a garrison for the Irish Confederate army under the command of General Sarsfield and Tully House was described as a castle or 'Chief House'. On the 3rd of February in this year Colonel Jones of the Parliamentarian army marched on the Confederate army quartered in Kildare town to discuss terms of their surrender and the following account was written in letters sent to the House of Commons; 'During the time of this Parle [Feb. 5], an Accident happened at the Enemy's Garrison of Tully, some half a Mile off Kildare; a House close to the Castle took fire, our Soldiers ran down amain thither; a commanded Party was also sent, and at the Gate fell Pell Mell to work, and forcing the Gate, a Corporal of Horse and a Lieutenant of foot were shot. Our Men entered and got possession of the Church (KD022-034---) close to the Chief House, and there

References

Griffith, M.C. 1966 Irish patent rolls of James I. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

OSL - Ordnance Survey Letters. Letters written by members of the Ordnance Survey's 'Topographical Department' (T. O'Conor, A. O'Curry, E. Curry, J. O'Donovan and P. O'Keeffe) sent to headquarters from the field (1834-41). MSS in Royal Irish Academy.

White, N.B. 1943 Extents of Irish monastic possessions, 1540-1541. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Anon. 1826 Inquisitionum in officio rotulorum cancellariae Hiberniae asservatarum, repertorium, vol. I. Dublin. George and John Grierson and Martin Keene, Printers.

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.

Nicholls, K.W. (ed.) 1994 The Irish fiants of the Tudor sovereigns during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Philip & Mary, and Elizabeth I, 4 vols. Dublin. Éamonn de Búrca for Edmund Burke Publisher.

FitzGerald, Lord W. 1903-5 Patrick Sarsfield, Earl of Lucan with an account of his family and their connection with Lucan and Tully. Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society 4, 114-47.

Morrin, J. (ed.) 1863 Calendar of the patent and close rolls of the chancery in Ireland, of the reign of Charles the first, first to eight year, inclusive. Dublin. HMSO.

Rushworth, J. 1721 Historical Collections The fourth and last part, containing the principal matters which happened from the beginning of the year 1645, to the death of King Charles the first 1648. London.