Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

In low-lying terrain in a river valley. The land rises to the W and SW and an E ridge runs roughly N-S. According to the Civil Survey in 1640 there was a 'Castle & Bawne' in Ballyherbery and 'Phillip Hackett' is listed as the proprietor (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 218). A small stream runs along the N and E sides of the external base of the bawn. The bawn (ext. dims 38.9m N-S; 45.1m E-W) is constructed of limestone rubble, roughly coursed (ext. H 5m; wall T 1.15-1.25m). The external face is roughly harled with a pebble dash. The E wall has an external base-batter (H 1.4m; Wth 0.15m). A tower house (TS061-047001-) was located in the SW angle of the bawn. The bawn is well preserved along most of the N wall except the W end, most of the E wall except the S end and most of the W wall. The S wall is the most damaged, particularly the E half which has largely collapsed. There are several defensive loops surviving where the wall survives, with the best examples being at the N end of the W wall and in the NE angle. The embrasures are mostly 1.4m above the internal ground level and contain a single crude narrow loop (average Wth 0.08m; H 0.6-0.7m). In the SW angle the bawn has an inner and outer 'skin' which corresponds with a strenghtening of the wall for the tower house which was incorporated into this angle. On the 1st (1840) OS 6-inch map the bawn is depicted with several buildings in the interior, an L-shaped building occupies the SW angle extending along the W and S wall, another building extends N-S from the S wall and another smaller L-shaped building is shown extending southward from mid-way along the E wall of the bawn. The bawn is divided internally by a wall running E-W. The latter L-shaped building is the only upstanding building surviving. It is of 18th/19th date and appears to have been extended post 1840 by filling in the 'L' to form a roughly square building. The OS Letters describe 'an old bawn within which, near the southwest corner, stood a castle which is now destroyed' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol.1, 108). The original entrance into the bawn does not survive, though roughly mid-way along the S wall the W embrasure of an entrance pier survives, though this may be later in date. There is an entrance roughly mid-way along the W wall which appears to be of 18th/19th date and there are round 18th/19th century gate piers within the bawn in the SE quadrant.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1931 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol I: county of Tipperary: eastern and southern baronies. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1930 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Tipperary collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840. Bray.