Deer park

The National Monuments Service's description

The curving field boundaries to the NW of Dunamase Castle (LA013-052) form a large roughly circular enclosed area which may follow the line of the boundary wall or ditch of the medieval deerpark of Dunamase Castle (SMR File 2002, pers. comm. B Hodkinson). According to O'Hanlon 'the park or chase of this remarkable feudal fortress extended towards the west and lay immediately under frowning summits of limestone rock. Some traces of a walled enclosure may still be seen, and also several copsewood thickets, on rugged eminences, within this boundary' (O'Hanlon 1870, 72). In 1283 the extent of Roger de Mortimer's lands at Dunamase included 'the mountain pasture and the pasture in the park' (CDI vol.2, 466). According to Murphy and O'Conor the boundaries of the townland of park 'in places curve in a deer-park like fashion. Furthermore, two other townlands called Park Lower and Park Upper occur on high rocky ground to the east of the castle' (Murphy and O'Conor 2006, 63). This would place the medieval deerpark in the townlands of Park Upper and Lower located to the E of the castle which is in a different location to the site suggested by O'Hanlon and Hodkinson. It is possible that the townlands of Park Upper and Lower are post-medieval in date replacing the medieval deerpark to the W of the castle. Alternatively it is possible that there were two medieval deerparks at Dunamase, one of which was located to the W of the castle and a second park to the E of the castle (Murphy and O'Conor 2006, 65).

Compiled by Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload / revision : 16 August 2010