Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a low rise of ground. A complex series of rectilinear earthworks marks the site of the medieval castle of Johnstown depicted on the 1659 Down Survey map of Delvin barony (NLI MS 723-4). A tower house type fortification belonging to James Nugent, an Irish papist is depicted on the 1659 Down Survey map of Kilcumny parish (ibid.). The terrier of this parish map recorded that 'There is a Castle in repaire in Johnstowne' (ibid.).
The earthworks belonging to the medieval castle are clearly visible on Digital Globe aerial photograph taken November 2011 and may represent ancillary structures belonging to the castle such as a bawn and field system, or possibly settlement earthworks. Present remains consist of a rectangular shaped area (approx. dims. 40m N-S x 25m E-W) enclosed by a wide low earthen bank and deep fosse. This is contained within a larger sub-rectangular enclosure (approx. diam. 91m N-S; 95m E-W) with a substantial wide earthen bank and fosse at N & S. The interior of this larger enclosure is divided by a series of radial banks forming smaller rectangular enclosures. The NE side of the site is indistinct. Cultivation ridges cross the site from E-W.

Compiled by: Frank Coyne and Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 19 April 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.

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