House - 16th/17th century

The National Monuments Service's description

In the demesne of Coopershill House (Bence-Jones 1988, 91-2), on the W side of the avenue leading north to the house and c. 80m SSW of the bridge that carries the avenue over the Unshin River. The ruined remains of Tanzyfort House, built by the Cooper family in the middle of the 17th century and occupied by them until Coopershill House was completed in 1774, consist of an L-shaped structure originally of two storeys with an attic (Craig and Garner 1973; Orser 2003). The structure is fragmentary and shows evidence of extensive alteration and rebuilding since its abandonment in the late 18th century (Orser 2003). In the summer of 2003 Prof. Charles E. Orser of Illinois State University conducted an archaeological excavation here as part of the ongoing Rural Lifeways Project (see Orser 2000). Preliminary excavation within the structure revealed 'the likely presence of at least two rooms, a front hall, containing 984 ft², and a kitchen, containing 690 ft². The original hall had a flagstone floor, while the kitchen floor was composed of tightly set cobbles' (Orser 2003). The excavation also revealed 'a possible back entrance almost directly opposite the front doorway, and structural evidence suggests the presence of a fireplace along the north wall of the kitchen and a second-storey fireplace in the building's northeast corner' (ibid.). Further excavation is planned for 2004.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005).

Date of upload: 18 January 2008