Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a gentle E-facing slope. Tintern abbey (WX045-027001-) had 60 acres at Boley at its suppression in 1541 (White 1943, 359) but a castle is not mentioned. The lands of Tintern at Boley were granted to Sir Anthony Colclough in 1566 (Jeffrey 1979, 138-9) and in 1641 the ruined castle and 60 acres at Boley were owned by Sir Caesar Colclough (Simington 1953, 179). The castle was described by John O’Donovan writing around 1840 as a tower 'twenty six and a half foot (c. 8.1m) by twenty two feet four inches (c. 6.8m) outside and c. fifty five feet (c. 16.75m) high with four storeys' (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 361). A drawing by du Noyer (c. 1850) shows a narrow tower with complete crenellations and part of a bawn wall with a pointed entrance (Colfer 2004, 82, Fig. 8). The castle was removed c. 1903, and there are no visible remains at ground level. The circular moated site (WX040-020002-) is immediately to the NE.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload/revision: 18 February, 2013
Amended: 29 January, 2014

References

Colfer, B. 2004 The Hook peninsula. Cork, University Press

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1953 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. IX: county of Wexford. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Jeffrey, W.H. 1979 The castles of County Wexford. Typescript prepared by the Old Wexford Society, Ed. E. Culleton.