House - 16th century

The National Monuments Service's description

On rock outcrop at the edge of a steep precipice which falls sharply to the S and W, overlooking a valley. A branch of the Butlers is associated with Roosca (Butler 2003, 453-61). Theobald Butler of ‘Rouskagh’ was the Sheriff of the Liberty of Tipperary in 1591-92 and when he died in 1595/6 he was succeeded by his son Pierce (ibid., 453-4). However, Pierce was subsequently attainted and the lands granted to Henry Piers of London in 1614 (ibid. 454). William Butler, an uncle of Pierce, secured the title from Piers and died at Roosca in 1634, being succeeded by his son Theobald (ibid. 455). The Civil Survey (1654-6) describes Roosca castle in 1640 as 'an old stone house coverred with thatch within a bawne' owned by Theobald Butler (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 367). A two-storey rectangular house of 16th-century date, constructed of limestone rubble, roughly coursed with associated bawn (TS081-041002-). The building (19.2m x 10.5m externally; wall T 1.05m; E wall H 5m) is orientated N-S. According to the OS Letters there were two 'disfigured' doorways in the house, one at the S end of the E wall and the other at the N end of the W wall (O'Flanagan 1930, vol.1, 16). Both these sections of wall have collapsed and there is no surviving trace of any doorway. Internally the ground floor was divided by a stone wall (running E-W) 4.15m from the S gable, this wall does not survive. The room at the S end was lit by a single-light window in the W wall, the opposing section of E wall has collapsed. The larger portion of the ground floor was lit by a single-light on the E wall, the N end of the W wall has collapsed. There is a slop-stone in the larger section of the ground floor, on the W wall near the partition wall. The larger portion of the first floor rests on a wooden floor supported on sandstone corbels along the E and W wall while the small S chamber has a separate wooden floor which is supported on the cross-wall and the S gable. This S chamber is also apparent at first-floor level with evidence of a wooden partition. This upper S chamber was lit by a single-light ogee-headed window in the W wall and an ogee-headed window on the E wall, only the S jamb and portion of the head survives. The main chamber was lit by a two-light ogee-headed window at the N end of the E wall and by four windows on the W wall. There are no fireplaces or chimneys in this building, nor is there any garderobe. The house forms the SW angle of a bawn wall, built on top of the rock outcrop, the bawn (wall 0.75-0.9m T) extends NE from the SE angle of the house and N from the N gable. In the NE angle of the bawn there is a roughly circular tower which was built up against the bawn wall. This is a two-storey tower with shot-holes at each level. The tower was accessed from inside the bawn at ground-floor level and from the wall-walk of the bawn, which does not survive, at first-floor level.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 13 January 2014

References

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.

Butler, D. J. 2003 Butler of Rouskagh, County Tipperary. Butler Journal: The Journal of the Butler Society 4, 453-61.

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