Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Castle - unclassified
Hightown Or Balloughter, County Westmeath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Hightown Or Balloughter
- County
- Westmeath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- SMR number
- WM027-052----
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
The precise location of this castle within the townland of Hightown or Balloughter has not been identified. The area marked on the Record of Monuments and Places Map [RMP] for Co. Westmeath is based on the 1654-7 Down Survey map of Farbill barony. No castle site or location is depicted on any edition of the OS 6-inch maps. A 19th century house and farmyard is located in the area marked on the RMP map of Co. Westmeath and there is no known tradition of a castle at this location. The 1654-7 Down Survey map of Farbill barony depicts a tower house type castle standing close to the S townland boundary with Lowtown or Balleighter (NLI, MS 723-4). In 1640 the lands of Balloghter including the castle belonged to Nicholas Darcy (NLI, MS 723-4). The terrier of the 1654 map states that the ‘Castle of Balloughter’ was one of 10 castles that ‘were very small ones formerly & now quite Demolished’ (NLI, MS 723-4).
Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien
Date of upload: 14 August 2013
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.