Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Bawn
Togherstown, County Westmeath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Togherstown
- County
- Westmeath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Partially indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Partially indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.49881, -7.54335
- SMR number
- WM024-031001-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Ballintogher Castle (WM024-031----) stands in W quadrant of bawn on flat poorly drained land with good views in all directions. Croughal church (WM025-005001-) and graveyard (WM025-005006-) lies 500m to SE. Annotated as ‘Boleyvillish Castle in ruins’, on the 1838 ed. O 6-inch map where the castle is shown standing beside several buildings accessed by a road to NE. On this map this small cluster of dwellings are annotated with the placename ‘Boleyvillish’. On the 1838 map the castle is depicted as a long rectangular structure aligned NW-SE with a second L-shaped building to NE and a third building located a few metres to NW. All of these structures were accessed by a roadway running NE towards the public road.
The bawn consists of a square-shaped earthwork (approx. dims 75m NW-SE x 73 NE-SW) defined by a scarp and wide water-filled moat with causewayed entrance at SE. The Fitzgerrald castle (WM024-031----) stands in the W quadrant of the bawn. It is not clear if this earthwork is contemporaneous with the castle or with the post-1700 building located to the W and NW which are depicted on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map. The interior of the bawn appears to be sub-divided into quadrants which may suggest the presence of a garden inside the bawn, cultivation ridges running E-S are visible in E quadrant of bawn.
This monument was described in 1978 as ‘a large sub-rectangular earthwork outlined by a stream on the NE side & by remains of a wide low bank & a wide fosse on the NE & SE sides. There is a narrow causeway entrance on the SE side. There is a second entrance, probably later, near the western end of the NW side. A number of low banks & shallow fosses divide the interior of the earthwork. This monument is in flat pasture land, very poorly drained & rushy to the north & east, with very gently rising ground, fairly well drained to the south & west‘ (SMR File 16/09/1978).
A second report from the same year describes the monument as ‘The castle (WM024-031----) is set in the remains of a rectangular ditched enclosure. There is a 19thc. house (ruined) to the NW of the castle. The ruin seems to date to the 16th or 17th c. ‘ (SMR File 02/05/1978).
Compiled and revised by: Caimin O’Brien
Date of revised upload: 11 December 2017
Nearby in the register
- Castle - tower houseunder 1 mi
- Cross-slabunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Cross-slabunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.