Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Fortification
Singland, County Limerick, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Singland
- County
- Limerick
- Country
- Ireland
- Coordinates
- 52.65896, -8.60290
- SMR number
- LI005-029004-
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
This fort built around the site of the church (LI005-029001-) on Singland Hill in 1691. Between the lifting of the first siege of Limerick in 1690 (see LI005-017183-) and the starting of the second a year later the defending Jacobite forces improved and upgraded the defences of the city. On the return of the Williamites in August 1691 the chronicler, George Story, records that the defenders had refortified the various forts, including Ireton’s Fort (LI005-113----) and Cromwell’s Fort (LI005-028----) and had ‘built another some distance to the right, where formerly stood an old church, and a third was begun also with a line of communication from one to the other, but not as yet finished’ (1693, 187). On the 25 August ‘When the greatest part of our army was got up, our detached body of foot, under the Command of Lieut. Gen. Mackay, was ordered to attack Ireton’s Fort, and the old Church-Fort, where we expected the enemy had lodged a party; our men made a line cross the fields, and were sustained by several entire regiments of foot and a body of horse. We advanced towards both the forts at one time, and found the upper one deserted.’ (ibid;, 187-9). They proceeded to take Ireton’s Fort and later that evening also took Cromwell’s Fort. The siege works were now controlled by the Williamites and the city eventually surrendered, the commanders signing the infamous ‘treaty’ of capitulation on 3 October. The Williamites withdrew their army from the various outworks and forts and left a garrison in the town.
The fort is shown on the map of the siege published by Story (1693, facing 224) but is not recorded as such on any of the 18th century or later maps of the city though it is possible that the outline of this work may be reflected in the regular shape of St Patrick’s Burial Ground (LI005-029002-).
Compiled by: Paul Walsh
Date of upload: 28 February 2018
References
Story, G. 1693 An impartial history of the wars of Ireland, with a continuation thereof. London. Chiswell.
Nearby in the register
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Castle - tower houseunder 1 mi
- Ritual site - holy wellunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.