Castle - motte and bailey

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a ridge overlooking the marshy floor of a stream valley to N. Originally constructed c. 1214 by Henri de Londres, Archbishop of Dublin (Orpen 1908). Described in the 1838-40 Ordnance Survey Field Name Books of Derrylossary parish (SMR File) as ‘ all that is perceptible is a square mound about 40 feet [12m] high with the remains of masonry, surrounded by a deep ditch. In 1308 Piers Gaveston fortified Castlekevin having first harrassed and defeated the O’Byrnes and O’Tooles, in order to conciliate the English.’
The present remains consist of an almost square-shaped motte with a possible large bailey area on the E side. The site was extensively rebuilt to act as the centre of a campaign against the O'Tooles and at this time it was probably enlarged to its present form. Later the site was granted to the O'Tooles but was destroyed before 1636 and not subsequently repaired. The motte (max. dims. 70m N-S; 46m E-W) has a level summit (dims. 34m N-S; 31m E-W; H 6-7m above base of fosse) and steep battered sides faced with uncoursed rubble. In the centre of the E portion are the remains of the castle (WI024-003001-). The platform is surrounded by a flat-bottomed fosse (Wth 6-8m; D 2-3m) and, on the N side, by a bank (Wth 7m; H 2.5m), a sunken road (WI024-003002-) and an outer bank (Wth 4.5m; H 1m). The possible bailey area consists of a subrectangular area (max. dims. 143m E-W; 67m N-S) tapering to the E. It is defined by a bank which is only visible at W end of N side elsewhere it has been reduced to a scarp along the N and E sides and by a fosse (Wth 4m) on the S. The road and outer bank of the motte continue along the N edge of the possible bailey. The identification of a possible bailey area to the E is uncertain as there is no clear evidence for any enclosing element on the E and S sides. The motte is located at the W end of a short E-W ridge. The natural narrow elongated shape of this ridge that is enclosed by lower wet land to the N and E gives the appearance of a bailey area on the E side of the motte. There are the remains of a sunken road running along the base of this ridge on the N and E side of the ridge. The road follows along the base of the ridge and from N through to E where it appears to run off into marshy land to the E of the ridge.

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.

Date of upload/revision: 15 November 2012

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 110/1940).

References

Orpen, G.H. 1908 Castrum Keyvini: Castlekevin. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 38, 17-27.