House - 16th century

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a low rise in a broad bend of the River Boyne with a SW-NE section of the river c. 150m to the SE. The Cistercian abbey of the Beatitudes (ME031-026----) was suppressed in 1537 when the estate was leased by Thomas Agard, a vice Treasurer of the Mint, and purchased from the Crown by Andrew Wyse in 1552. Sometime in the later 16th century, after the Suppression, the buildings were transformed into a U-shaped house, adapting the first floor of the E, S and W ranges as accommodation. The tower house was incorporated into the design and the W range was extended northwards into the W end of the now defunct church. A new entrance was provided on the S front at the first floor, reached by a grand stone staircase. The old chapter house was converted into a kitchen with a large oven in the adjacent chamber to the N. The other vaulted chambers of the ground floor were used for storage, and a stairs to the first floor was inserted in the S range, accessed from the old cloister walk. The most distinctive features of this phase are the large chimney stacks that are particularly visible, two on the N wall of the S range and one on the N gable of the E range. The first floor and an attic survive here with large rectangular windows of two or three lights under rectangular hood mouldings. It might have continued in occupation until Bective House was built around 1790 (Bence-Jones 1978, 35) c. 1.5km to the NNE. (Leask 1916)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

This is a National Monument in state guardianship, No. 187.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload/revision: 15 January 2015

References

Leask, H. G. 1916 Bective Abbey. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 46, 46-57.

Bence-Jones, M. 1978 Burke's Guide to Country Houses: Volume 1 Ireland. London. Burke's Peerage Ltd.