Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

The precise location of a castle in the townland of Elton has not been identified. Westropp (106-7, 181) recorded the following details about Elton; 'Elltown C[astle]. granted to Sir E. Fitton (Fi. 5032), and held by him 1606 (Inq. Exch., 9). 1607 Grant to N. Haward (Pat. R.). 1621 Held by W. Haly with Ballinlyng or Lillingstown (Inq. Chan., 8, 240, 244). 1653 Leased to Quartermaster J. Chinnery (Hartwell Acct. Book). Ruinous C[astle]., late of N. Haly (C.S., xxxi., p. 9).
The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that Nicholas Haly of Towreene, an Irish Papist, was the owner of Elton and Brittas which contained 'a Ruinous Castle, three Cabbins & Mill Seat [LI040-300----] on it' (Simington 1938, 99). A tower house like castle is depicted on the 1654-7 Down Survey map of Small County Barony (Hib. Reg.). The terrier of the Down Survey map of Any Parish recorded that on the 'Lands of Ellton & Brittas Standes a Castle' (NLI, MS 718).

See attached Down Survey map of Small County Barony

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 24 May 2021

References

Westropp, T.J. 1906-7 The ancient castles of the county of Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 26, 54-264.

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1938 The civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. IV: county of Limerick, with a section of Clanmaurice barony Co. Kerry. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

NLI, MS 718 - National Library of Ireland, Parish maps with terriers, showing forfeited lands in County Limerick, commonly known as the "Down Survey", executed under the direction of Sir William Petty, 1657, and copied by Daniel O'Brien, 1786.

Hibernia Regnum: A set of 214 barony maps of Ireland dating to the period AD 1655-59. The original parish maps have been lost but the Hibernia Regnum maps are preserved in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris (Goblet 1932, v-x). Photographic facsimiles of these maps were published by the Ordnance Survey, Southampton in 1908.