Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Castle - unclassified
Castleforbes Demesne, County Longford, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Castleforbes Demesne
- County
- Longford
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.77161, -7.85046
- SMR number
- LF008-012001-
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 Libraries
Shown on 4 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
On level, low-lying ground within the demesne of Castleforbes, c. 55m to the NNW of a 17th-century house (LF008-012----) that was subsequently incorporated into the present 18th-/19th-century ‘Castle Forbes’ house. Arthur Forbes settled in Ireland in 1620 and in 1623 he was granted lands in Clonguish and Lisbrack (Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I, 540-1), which included a castle. It is recorded that the castle was taken by Preston in 1641 (O’Donnell 1969, 34). The 1641 depositions note that during an attack on the castle and bawn (LF008-012003-) by Irish rebels, all the windows were 'shott in' and people were 'killd some there in the howse & some on the walls, And on the other syde those of the Castle discharged out of the Castle against the Rebells and killd many of them' (TCD, MS 817, fol. 178r). The barrel-vaulted remains of the castle are incorporated into the entrance gateway of the present house (Casey and Rowan 1993, 190). An armorial plaque (LF008-012004-) may be from it.
Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload: 3 October 2012
References
Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I - Irish patent rolls of James I: facsimile of the Irish record commissioners' calendar prepared prior to 1830, with foreword by M.C. Griffith (Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin, 1966)
O'Donnell, M.J. 1969 The Pakenhams – Earls of Longford. Teathbha 1 (i), 34.
Trinity College Dublin, The 1641 depositions. Dublin.
Casey, C. and Rowan, A. 1993 The buildings of Ireland: North Leinster: the counties of Longford, Louth, Meath and Westmeath. London. Penguin Books.
Nearby in the register
- Bawnunder 1 mi
- Wellunder 1 mi
- Armorial plaqueunder 1 mi
- House - 17th centuryunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.