House - 16th/17th century

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on level ground at the SE end of a gentle slope. A large late seventeenth-century house built by Michael Boyle, Archbishop of Armagh, shown on the 1838 OS 6-inch map as 'Downshire Ho. (in Ruins)'. Described by Bence-Jones (1978, 44) as a 'House of two storeys with dormered attic in its high-pitched roof; of brick, and built on an “H”-plan. Principal front with five-bay centre recessed between two three-bay projecting wings joined by a single-storey balustraded colonnade. Roof on bracket cornice; single-storey wing at one side. The house stood at the end of an avenue in a fine demesne with a deer park'. The house was burnt in 1798. The only surviving portion consists of a brick-built stairwell leading down, with one return, to a barrel-vaulted chamber (dims. c. 8m x 5m). Landscape features possibly associated with the house include a two circular ponds, one (diam. c. 40m; D c. 3.5m) with a path (Wth 3m) around the lip, and another (diam. c. 12m) set at the SE end of a subrectangular enclosure (dims. c. 60m NW-SE; 12m NE-SW), two circular mounds each with external fosses (max. ext. diam. c. 14m and diam. 11.1m; H 1m), are visible on aerial photographs (GSIAP, O 73, N 332-3). (OS Name Books)
In 1998 an archaeological assessment and impact study were undertaken in the area prior to a major residential development (Excavation Licence 98E0425). The assessment showed some of the field boundaries on the site to be contemporary with the occupation of the house (Dunne 2000, 225). In 2003 a series of test trenches were opened across the location of the house (Excavation Licence 03E0453) and all features identified were surveyed and recorded (Phelan 2006, 544). Monitoring of top soil stripping continued until 2007, three rubbish pits containing post medieval artefacts were uncovered in 2007 (Phelan 2007, 477; Phelan 2010, 553).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Revised by: Claire Breen

Date of revision: 16 January 2013

References

Phelan, S. 2007 Blessington Demesne, Blessington. In I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 2004: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 477 (No. 1851). Bray. Wordwell.

Phelan, S. 2010 Blessington Demesne. In I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 2007: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 553 (No. 2003). Bray. Wordwell.

Phelan, S. 2006 'Blessington Demesne'. In I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 2003: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 544 (No. 2070). Bray. Wordwell.

Dunne, N. 2000 Ashton, Blessington. In I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 1998: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 225 (No. AD8). Bray. Wordwell.