Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

It has been suggested that Ballyhanhown Court was built on the site of Ballynahown Court which was described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as a ‘Detached three-bay three-storey over basement country house, built c.1746, having a three-bay single-storey wing, added c.1850, to the southwest’ (www.buildingsofireland.ie). However there is no evidence to suggest that the medieval castle and bawn of Ballynahown belonging to the Malone family was located on the site of this 18th century house. According to the current owner of Ballynahown Court the medieval castle site was located on the demesne lands 360m to E in a wooded area immediately S of the avenue leading up to Ballynahown Court. This woodland area is depicted as a tree plantation (WM035-012----) on all editions of the OS 6-inch maps. Present remains consist of an area of woodland covered in scrub and other vegetation which makes it impossible to examine the interior for any evidence of the medieval castle. The location of this woodland does correspond to the depiction of the castle on the 1654-9 Down Survey map of Kilcleagh Parish (NLI, MS 723-4) which shows Ballynahown Castle and bawn (WM035-0100001-) located in close proximity to a millrace powering a nearby watermill (WM025-011002-). The 1654-9 Down Survey map depicts a ‘Castle in repaire & Towne’ in ‘Ballenihone/Killemoyllchan’ which roughly corresponds with the present demesne lands of Ballynahown Court (NLI MS 723-4). On this map a castle and bawn (WM035-010001-) are depicted in the SW quadrant of Ballynahown townland which does not correspond with the area of woodland to the E of Ballynahown Court. A ‘mill (WM035-010002-) in repair’ is also shown standing along a mill race located in close proximity to the castle and bawn. The terrier of the Down Survey map of Killcleagh parish states that in Ballynahown there was ‘a Castle and a large Bawne in repaire with a good Mill’ (NLI, MS 723-4). In 1641 the lands of ‘Ballenihone Killemoyllchan’ amounting to 470 acres of land were in the possession of Catherin[e] Malone al[ia]s Pettit who was listed as an ‘Irish Papist’. The lands of Ballynahown were described in the Down Survey as consisting of a mixture of pasture, meadow, arable and rocky land. The precise location of the castle, bawn, mill and mill race has not been identified within the townland of Ballynahown.

Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien

Date of upload: 08 August 2014

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.