Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

Westropp (1906-7, 196) recorded the following details about a castle in Ballyscaddan also known as Ryves Castle or Castle Jane; 'The name probably from the Tipperary family of Scadan or Hareng. Beal atha na sgadán (O'Donovan). 1229 R. de Burgo gave seisin of Baliscadan to W. de Marisco (C.S.P.I.). 1657 Bealenescadane (D.S.A., 54, exp.). 1667 Confirmed to Jo. Ryves (Act Sett.). Ryves C[astle]. on "site of C.[astle] Jane" in new maps. A most doubtful site'. The present townland name of Ryves Castle replaced the earlier townland name of Ballyscaddan or Béal Átha na Scadán. The Ordnance Survey Field Name Books for Ballyscaddan parish recorded that Ryves Castle House was 'formerly called Castle Jane'. The terrier of the Down Survey parish map of Ballyscaddan recorded that 'upon Bealanescadane Is the Stumpe of a Castle & a few Cabbins' (NLI, MS 718). In 1640 the lands of Ballyscaddan belonged to 'John FitzGibbon of Bealanescaddane' (ibid.). In 1655 the Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that John FitzGibbon of Ballyscaddan, an Irish papist was the owner of Ballyscaddan 'whereon stands a Castle out of Repaire and a Mill seate [LI041-073----] (Simington 1938, 233). On the 1840 ed. OSi 6-inch map the house annotated Ryves Castle was known in the 18th century as Castle Jane and may have been built on the site of or close to the site of the medieval castle of Ballyscaddan which belonged in 1640 to John FitzGibbon.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 5 August 2021

See attached ASI aerial photographs ASIAP – 342/12 on 05/01/2003.

References

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.

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

OSNB - Ordnance Survey Name Books. Pro-forma books arranged by Civil Parish for recording townland and other name-forms and compiled in the course of the OS 6-inch survey 1824-1841. The name books also include minor names and incidental references to antiquities. National Archives of Ireland.

ASIAP - Archaeological Survey of Ireland Aerial Photographs (c. 1996 - c. 2010).

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.