Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in low-lying pasture, 115m NE of Tuitestown Lough. Tuitestown Castle depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a rectangular-shaped building aligned N-S on its long axis standing in a small woodland. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as the outline of a rectangular-shaped with a short stretch of wall running E-W located 6m to the S of the SE corner of the castle. No castle is depicted in the townland of Tuitestown on the 17th century Down Survey map of Mullingar parish (NLI, MS 723-4). In 1641 the lands of Tuitestown belonged to Edward and Thomas Tuite who are both described as 'Irish papists' (ibid.). In 1662 after the Restoration Edward and Thomas Tuite opposed the claim of Lord Wharton to his claim on 'the castle, town and lands of Tuitestown' (Anon. 1871, Appendix 1, PRI rep. DK, 164).
Poorly preserved remains of Tuitestown Castle described in 1980 as consisting of a long, rectangular-shaped area (approx. dims. 15m N-S x 7m E-W) defined by low sod-covered stone wall footings with evidence of internal dividing walls. A linear mound (approx. dims. 24m E-W; 11.5m N-S) of earth and stone to the immediate SE, represents the remains of a collapsed wall belonging to a possible bawn wall or some internal garden wall feature. The mound is of earth and stone with the corner of a wall constructed of carefully selected limestone laid in regular courses and bonded with mortar. To NW of the castle are the remains of another rectangular-shaped structure defined by low grass-covered wall footings. The remains of other walls and banks can be seen in the immediate vicinity. Salter described the castles as following; 'Base of tower with evidence of staircase to SE of footings of range with dividing walls. Base of third building to NW' (Salter 2004, 158).
These three structures are enclosed within an uneven area which is defined by sod-covered wall footings and a wide, deep fosse to W and N. The NE corner of this enclosure is raised to form a small steep-sided mound. The precise route of the fosse is difficult to follow on the W side because of the presence of a possible field drain at this location. The curvilinear E side of the enclosure is formed by a modern drain or stream running down to Tuitestown Lough to S. There is a causeway entrance at N. There is a complex series of old banks and fosses in the fields to W and N which may be an old field system associated with the castle. The remains of the castle and field system with cultivation ridges and other earthworks are clearly visible on Digital Globe aerial photography.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien

Date of upload: 12 February 2019

References

Salter, M. 2004 The castles of Leinster. Worcestershire. Folly Publications.

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.

Report of the deputy keeper of the public records in Ireland (Dublin, 1869- ).