Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on high ground overlooking Castletown bridge (LA016-017004-) which crosses the River Nore to the N. A late medieval tower house site (LA016-017001-) is located 50m to the E. In 1290, Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester surrendered to the King his castles of Kilkenny and Offerclane (Castletown) and received a regrant of them the next month. In 1306 'it was stated that the manor attached to the castle of Offerlane, located in the far north of Ossory, had once been worth £26 6s 6d per annum to the earl of Gloucester (O'Cleirigh 1999, 171, Cal. doc. Ire. 1302-07, no. 670). An "Extent" of the possessions of Joan, Countess of Gloucester, widow of Earl Gilbert, dating 1307, states 'that there is a castle [viz., that of Castletown] in Offarclan, which belonged to the Countess aforesaid, in which are contained, as well in lordship as in demesne, 29 carucates and 60 acres of land, which formerly were wont to be worth £26 4s. 4d.; but as this castle lies in a strong march, all the lands aforesaid lie waste on account of the war of the Irish, so that nothing can be recovered there from; but the lord the King spends £40 a year of his own on the custody of the castle' (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 171-2). Thomas de Cantewelle was constable of the castle in 1309 and held it for the crown. In 1600 the castle was burnt down by Teige Fitzpatrick (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 171-172). Depicted on the 1563 map of leix and Offaly as a castle in 'Balachassan'. According to Carrigan in The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory the 'old castle which formerly stood on the site now occupied by the P.P. (Parish Priests) house, but of which nothing remains save a large piece of the courtyard wall, a broken turret or two, a gateway, and a half-filled-up fosse (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 171).
Present remains consist of a large irregular shaped area (approx. int. dims. 114m N-S; 147m E-W) enclosed by a bawn wall (int. H 1.5m; ext. H 3-4m) that has been rebuilt on the N face overlooking the River Nore and has been re-faced on the W face by a Tidy Towns committee around the year 2000. The NW angle and part of the N end of the W face of the bawn wall appears to be original. There is narrow flat headed doorway in the NW angle of the bawn which gives access to a mural passage (Wth 0.6m) from which a circular angle tower (int. diam. approx. 1.5m; wall T 1.8m) on the NW angle is accessed and a square mural tower at the N end of the W wall. There is a high base batter (H 3m) visible on the W face of the bawn wall that was refaced in the clean up scheme. No other original features survive, Castletown National School built inside the bawn in 1951, water pump to N of school may be evidence for the reuse of an earlier medieval well situated in the centre of the bawn.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 17 December 2007

References

Cal. doc. Ire. - Calendar of documents relating to Ireland 1171-1307, ed. H.S. Sweetman (5 vols., London, 1875-86).

Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.