House - 17th century

The National Monuments Service's description

On a flat-topped ridge running N-S in undulating terrain, under pasture. Ground drops away to E and S beyond enclosing bawn (TS062-122003-). Ringfort and holy well (TS062-121001-; TS062-121002-) located c. 100m to N and Knockkelly tower house (TS062-131001-) and bawn (TS062-131002-) is visible on ridge c. 1km to SE. Two-storey 17th-century house built onto the E side of a tower house (TS062-122001-). Described in the Civil Survey (1654-6) as 'a little old Castle with walls of a stone house lately erected two Storyes high' and the owner in 1640 is given as 'Thomas Vynn of Feathard Irish Papist' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 189). Of the house only the S wall survives (int. dims. 14.46 E-W x 4.92m N-S; wall T 0.9-0.96m), a short length of E gable (L 1.95m) and the NW return (W wall L 1.72m; N wall L 2.5m). It is constructed of limestone rubble, roughly course with all quoins are missing and survives up to the base of first-floor level (H 4.4m). House entered through doorway at E end fo S wall, with much eroded hood-moulding over doorway. There are four windows in the S wall, two flat-headed single lights with ext. chamfer and two broken out windows, one blocked-up. Two wall cupboards survive, one at the E end of the N wall, the other at the N end of the W wall. At first-floor level there are three window embrasure which rise from floor level. These are directly above all but the most westerly window at ground-floor level. There is a suggestion of an embrasure over the ground-floor doorway but this is obscured by ivy. The first-floor was carried on a wooden floor which rested on a wall-plate supported on eleven corbels, ten of which survive. The joists themselves where inserted into closely spaced, roughly square, crude joist-holes.

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.