Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in a farmyard on low-lying pasture-land on the N face of a high ridge running E-W. Lough Derravaragh 1.2km to SW and bog 1.8km to W. No castle is depicted on the 1657 Down Survey map of Mayne parish (NLI MS 723-4). In 1641 the terrier of the Down Survey map of Mayne parish listed the chief proprietor of the lands of Williamstowne as Thomas Fitzsyman(ibid.). Depicted as ‘Castle’ on 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map, and as ‘Castle (in Ruins)’ on the 1911 ed. OS 6-inch map. Poorly-preserved square shaped tower house (ext. dims. 8m E-W; wall T 1m; approx. H 5m) surviving two storeys high built of undressed limestone blocks laid in regular mortared courses with rounded quoins. Only the N wall survives intact along with short stretches of the N ends of the E (L 2m) and W (L 4m) walls. The S half of the castle has been levelled and post-1700 farm buildings have been built up against the external face of the W wall. Remains of a springing for a stone vaulted ground floor roof visible on the inner face of the N wall. Beneath the springing of the vault there is a narrow flat-headed loop or window at ground floor level. Possible traces of a destroyed stairways visible in the NW corner which gave access to upper floors. Above the vault at first floor level there are the remains of a large broken out window visible in the N wall. A blocked up window ope is visible in the E wall at first floor level and a small window ope can also be seen in the W wall at first floor level. Relatively No visible trace of a bawn wall.

Compiled by: Frank Coyne & Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 3 February 2017

References

NLI, MS 723-4 - National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey for the County of Westmeath, attested by W. Petty, in 1659. Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 67 maps with accompanying terriers in two volumes, 1786-7. Dublin.