Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

On top of a ridge, on level ground, in pastureland which slopes gently to N of the monument. In the mid-17th century John White and his mother Lady Ellis Morres owned the land of Mylerstowne, upon which stood 'a castle the walls onely standing' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 286-7). This castle is also indicated on the 17th-century Down Survey maps. William fitz James Brennaghe of Milodeston is fined for failing to attend as juror in 1561 (COD V, 121). Only the S wall (ext. L 9.5m) and a portion of the S end of the W wall (ext. L 5.8m; wall T 1.9m) survive. It is composed of limestone rubble, roughly coursed, with no base-batter. There has been some repair to the base of the S wall at the W end, with evidence of a single-storey shed built up against the external wall at ground level. The quoin stones are robbed out at the SW and SE angles. The wall survives to second-floor level, the upper storeys covered in ivy. There is a garderobe chute at the S end of the W wall, but only the lower courses of the back and one side stone on the N side of the ope survive. Concrete slabs, stones and other building debris from a dismantled shed have been dumped against the inner face, up to the base of first-floor level, and stones have been quarried from the inner face of the S wall at ground-floor level. The first floor was carried on wooden beams. Centrally placed in the S wall at first-floor level there is a large window embrasure, splaying internally. The window itself is broken out and the inner embrasure appears to drop to floor level. Towards the S end of the W wall, the S side of a window embrasure survives, splaying internally, with the light broken out. The N end of this wall does not survive. The second floor is carried on a stone vault which sprang from the N and S walls. This has completely collapsed, with only the springer surviving. There are vertical slots at the E end of the S wall under the vault where the timber frame supports were fixed during construction of the vault. The second floor only survives to a height of 1-1.5m above the vault. There is ivy growing at this floor level, obscuring any features. There has been some burning up against the E end of the S internal wall. It is possible that some of the stone features from the tower house are incorporated in nearby farm building, though none were visible.

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.

Ormond deeds - Calendar of Ormond deeds 1172-1350 [etc.] ed. Edmund Curtis (Irish Manuscripts Commission, 6 vols., Dublin, 1932-43).