Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Road - road/trackway
Kilmorony, County Laois, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Kilmorony
- County
- Laois
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- NULL
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 52.94836, -6.96106
- SMR number
- LA026-045----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Aerial photograph (GB91.EA.06) shows cropmark of a wide fosse enclosing the upstanding motte (LA026-006-). The levelled bailey is defined by three concentric fosses extending from the modern field boundary on the south-east and extending towards the River Barrow. A concentric ring of pits is located within the bailey. The crop-mark of a levelled trackway or possible medieval road (LA026-045) and small divisions are located south-west of the bailey. A large quarry is located immediately to the SE. The aerial photographs were taken on 15 July 1991.
The above report has been compiled by Dr. G. F. Barrett and supplied to the Archaeological Survey of Ireland.
On the 1838 edition of the OS 6-inch map the motte and bailey is located within a tree plantation on the landscaped demesne lands of Kilmorony House located 280m to the NW. On this six-inch map the motte is shown standing in the centre of a large circular bailey. It is possible that the large circular bailey may be the remains of an earlier prehistoric enclosure that was refortified by the Anglo-Normans in the late 12th or early 13th century. On the revised 25-inch OS 6-inch map the motte is depicted as 'The Mound' with a circular tower indicated on top of the motte which suggests that the motte was landscaped by the owners of Kilmorony House who may have built a summer house on top of the motte in the 18th or 19th century. On this revised map the semi-circular curving field boundary to the W of the motte is indicated. This levelled field boundary which may have been the original enclosing element of the bailey that now shows up clearly on the aerial photograph (GB91.EA.06) taken in 1991.
Compiled by Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload / revision : 13 December 2010
Nearby in the register
- Castle - motte and baileyunder 1 mi
- Wellunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
- Castle - unclassifiedunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.