Town defences

The National Monuments Service's description

National Monument No. 220. The town defences of Fore are Anglo-Norman defences, dating from the 14th or 15th century as determined from the murage evidence. The earliest known reference is to a murage and pavage grant of Edward III (1327-77) stipulating a stone wall. In the 1436 a grant of murage to the town was made by Henry VI, believed to be in response to attacks of Irish which resulted in the burning of the priory and of the town. This was subsequently reaffirmed in 1462-3 by his successor Edward IV.
The defences were described in the Urban Survey of Westmeath (Bradley 1985, 76-7) as following; 'The exact course of the defences is difficult to trace. Apart from the two gatehouses only the wall foundations survive and these are difficult to distinguish from ordinary field boundaries. Drainage channels have been cut between almost every field and these have formed banks of much the same width and height as the town wall foundations.
The SOUTH GATE is a rectangular gatehouse built of fairly evenly coursed limestone. It stands on the south side of the road from Crossakeel opposite the modern St. Feighin’s (R.C.) Church. Only the ground floor survives but the presence of a spiral stair on the west side indicates that there was an upper level originally. The passage is entered through a round arch 2.6m wide. Some of the quoins are re-used stones from the Benedictine priory, and include one section of the cloister arcade. The north-east wall has an added external batter. A bank, c. 1-1.5m high and 1.5m wide, runs south-west from the South Gate up the side of the hill. It is connected to a crossing bank of similar size which skirts the base of the Ben of Fore and turns north-west to link in with the North Gate. These banks have a rubble core and there are traces of stone facing. Further protection appears to have been added on this side by scarping the side of the hill at two levels contiguous with the base of the Ben of Fore.
The NORTH GATE is a rectangular structure with rounded corners on the north-west and
south-east angles. It is built of fairly evenly coursed limestone and is entered through a round arched gate, 2.6m wide, which is blocked by a modern cross wall. The passage is flat-arched and short. Only the ground floor survives and there are no indications of internal chambers. A murder hole above the gate indicates that there was an upper level but all trace of it has been removed and is now replaced by modern repairs. There is a slight batter and a string course on the external west face. There are two large internal recesses in the east and west walls at arch level and these may have held eyes on which the gate was suspended. There is no sign of defences on the north side of Fore and presumably the wet marsh which occupies this area was regarded as defence enough. The Benedictine priory [WM004-035010-] was protected by its own defences'.

In 1837 the Topographical Dictionary of Ireland described the town defences as following; the ruins of several square towers, evidently built for defence, round which may be traced the walls of a very considerable town, of which two of the gates are still remaining' (Lewis 1837, 616). Leask stated that 'Fore was fortified on N side by a canal and on S by a mound and ditch…extending from one gate to the other…and still traceable' (Leask 7, quoting OS Letters).
The town defences are described in clockwise fashion, commencing with the southern entrance. The South Gate is a rectangular gatehouse built of fairly evenly coursed limestone. It stands on the south side of the road from Crossakeel opposite the modern St. Feighin's Church. Only the ground floor survives but the presence of a spiral stair on the W side indicates that there was an upper level originally. A bank, c. 1-1.5m high and 1.5m wide, runs SW from the South Gate for a distance c.120m. It is connected by a crossing bank of similar size which turns NW for a distance of c.440m. The exact course of this part of the town defences is uncertain but it is probable that it followed a generally direct line. These banks have a rubble core and there are traces of stone facing. Field reports suggest that there was a wide fosse outside. A massive outcropping rock on the W side has a sheer cliff ranging from 6-8m high which is a natural barrier from the W. The defences would appear to run along the townland boundary line, close to the Anchorite's Church, and follow this line as it turns in a NE direction towards the North Gate for a distance of c.100m. The North Gate is a rectangular structure with rounded corners on the NW and SE angles. Only the ground floor survives and there are no indications of internal chambers. There is no visible trace of the defences on the N side of Fore, to the E of the main road, and presumably the wet marsh which occupies this area was regarded as defence enough. The field reports state that, from the NW gate, extending N is a field bank, poorly drained, a natural defence. It would appear, according to Avril Thomas' maps, that the natural defences extend NE for c.200m. It is here that the course of the town defences becomes uncertain. Thomas identifies the course as turning in a SE direction from this point, following the course of a field drain for 420m. According to Thomas, it then turns SW for c.290m where is skirts the boundary of St. Feighin's Church and meet with the South Gate.
It has been suggested (by Con Manning and in the Urban Survey) that the priory to the N had it's own defences. It is possible that these were integrated and formed part of the town defences and therefore the course of the town defences would need to incorporate this. The priory is surrounded by a marshy valley with wet ground on all sides except the E. A low hill to the N of the priory, Knocknamonaster, was enclosed by defences - the slope of the Knoll was scarped near it's base to form a platform on the E, N, and E sides. Outside this is a ditch with counterscarp bank. The platform is 5.2m wide in average while the ditch is 4.8m wide at the mouth. The counterscarp bank ranges in height from 1-2m and is 4m wide. The precinct defences probably continues on E side as far as SE gate but these were ploughed out and are not visible. Whether or not the town defences ever extended this far N can only be conjectured.

Compiled by: Rachel Barrett

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 27 January 2020

References

Bradley, J., Halpin, A., and King, H. 1985 Urban archaeological survey - county Westmeath. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Thomas, A. 1992 The walled towns of Ireland, 2 vols. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.

ASIAP - Archaeological Survey of Ireland Aerial Photographs (c. 1996 - c. 2010).

Leask, H.G. n.d. Fore, Co. Westmeath: national monuments in charge of the Commissioners of Public Works. Dublin.

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.