Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Castle - unclassified
Newtown (baker), County Kilkenny, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Newtown (baker)
- County
- Kilkenny
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- SMR number
- KK027-061----
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
A simple castle on the N side of a bridge (KK027-092----) is depicted on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Shillelogher, County Kilkenny (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). The castle appears to have been misidentified as a mill in the SMR listing (1987). The location of the castle and bridge correspond roughly to the location of Newtown Bridge which crosses both the Kings River and a smaller tributary, which runs parallel to it to the N, before joining it c. 230m to the E. It is likely that this bridge, defended by a castle on either side, gave access to, and egress from, the medieval settlement at Earlstown (KK027-012----) on the N bank of the Kings River. The bridge, with a castle (KK027-060----) to the S, are indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Kells, County Kilkenny (ibid.). It is possible that the castle on the N side of the bridge is the tower house (KK027-012007-) in Newtown (Baker) which lies c. 130m N of the northern side of the current Newtown Bridge. If not, then the precise location of both the castles, as well as the bridge, is unknown.
See attached:
KK027-061----_01 Extract from Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Shillelogher, County Kilkenny (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin)
Compiled by: Jean Farrelly
Date of upload: 23 May 2023