Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Bee-boles
Milford, County Tipperary North, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Milford
- County
- Tipperary North
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.04357, -8.13195
- SMR number
- TN007-080----
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
Likely to be associated with the 17th-century phase of Milford House (TN007-081----), which projects to the rear of the late 18th-century block. There is a sunken walled garden (dims. c. 18m NNE-SSW; c. 14m WNW-ESE) c. 16m SSW of the house. Bee-boles are set into a purpose built walled structure (L 11.2m; total Wth 3m; rear wall Wth 0.54m; H at front 0.7m; H at rear 1.12m) which runs along the top of the sunken S wall (D 1.4m) of the garden. It is a free-standing structure, though it abuts the E wall of the sunken garden which continues southward, beyond the sunken garden. A ledge (Wth 1.7m) runs along the top of the S sunken garden wall in front of the bee-boles.
There are a total of ten bee-holes built into the walled structure, with rectangular openings (H 0.41-0.51m; Wth 0.4m; D 0.17m) and rounded interiors (Wth 0.72m; D 0.5m; H 0.62m) with flat lintelled roofs. Each bee-bole would have housed one skep, probably constructed of coiled straw. Externally the bee-bole openings, which face NNE, are between 0.5m and 0.75m apart, with an average width of 0.61m apart. The bee-holes have a sloping roof of overlapping flat stones which projects slightly beyond the openings, providing the skep with extra shelter from rain.
A length of walling (L 4m), towards the W end of the structure, is leaning forward (northward). A small buttress has been constructed near the W end in an attempt to halt its collapse.
These bee-boles have been dated to c. 1650 by Crane (1983, 308).
See attached photographs:
TN007-080----_01 S wall of sunken garden and bee-boles from NNE
TN007-080----_02 Sunken garden with bee-boles on top of S wall, from W
TN007-080----_03 Bee-boles at E end of walled structure, from W
TN007-080----_04 Interior of bee-bole
TN007-080----_05 Rear of walled structure, from SW
TN007-080----_06 Rear of walled structure, from SE, with 17th-century house in the background
Compiled by: Jean Farrelly
Date of upload: 30 August 2022
References
Crane, E. 1983 The archaeology of beekeeping. London. Duckworth and Co. Ltd.
Nearby in the register
- House - 17th centuryunder 1 mi
- Moundunder 1 mi
- Cistunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.