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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Castle - motte

Ballylarkin Lower, County Kilkenny, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Castle - motte, Ballylarkin Lower, County Kilkenny, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Ballylarkin Lower
County
Kilkenny
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Hachured
Latest-edition OS map
Hachured
Coordinates
52.72383, -7.42850
SMR number
KK013-016----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1868 · 4. Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

On a gentle N-facing slope in grassland. There are good views to the N and NW across the Nuenna River valley to the hills beyond and very good views to the W. The ground rises to the E and S, impeding the view in these directions. There is a church (KK013-018001-) and graveyard (KK013-018002-) c. 120m to the NE and a castle (KK013-017001-) c. 100m to the SSW. According to Phelan (1965, 8) Ballylarkin was granted to Robert Shortall between 1202 and 1218 and it became the Shortall's principal seat.
A circular mound (diam. at top 13.8m N-S; 13.3m E-W at top; diam. at base 24.6m N-S; 19.7m E-S; H 2.9m at N) with a level top defined by scarp and slight traces of an external fosse (W 3m; D 0.3m) at the base. The top of the mound slopes downward (0.7m over 2m) towards the SE where the mound is lower (H 1.6m), perhaps indicating a former ramped entrance. There are hawthorn trees growing on the side of the mound which is otherwise grass covered.

See attached photographs:
KK013-016----_01 Motte from the N
KK013-016----_02 Motte from the E
KK013-016----_03 Motte from the S
KK013-016----_04 Detail of stone protruding from S side of motte
KK013-016----_05 Motte from the SW

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 12 September 2022

References

Phelan, M. M. 1965 Ballylarkin and the Shortall family. Old Kilkenny Review, 5-8.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Castle - motte in Kilkenny All County Kilkenny records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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