Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

The manor of Rosegarland lay between the N-S Owenduff river on the W and the N-S Corock River on the E above their confluence before they enter the N end of Bannow Bay. It consisted of the parishes of Inch, Clongeen and Ballylannan and was held by Maurice de London (or de Loundres) in 1247 of de Valence for 3 and a quarter knight’s fees together with Duncormick (WX046-035001-) in Bargy. The family had been in Ireland since the 1170s but by 1324 Rosegarland and Duncormick had passed by the second marriage of Matilda to George le Poer, who was attainted in 1346. In 1385 Isabella, a granddaughter of Matilda by her first marriage and the wife of Simon Neville inherited Rosegarland, and the Nevilles are recorded as holding Rosegarland by two knights’ fees in 1425 (Brooks 1950, 103-7).
The centre of the de London manor may have been the motte and bailey at Newcastle (WX040-009----), but the Nevilles probably built a tower house at Rosegarland in the 15th century. David Neville was attainted in 1538 when the castle and lands were granted to William Sayntloo and later to others (Hore 1900-11, vol. 3, 173-83), but in 1582 it came into the possession of Richard Synnott of Ballybrennan (WX048-001001-), confirmed in 1626 to his son James and grandson Walter (ibid. 187). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) Marcus Synnott owned the castle and bawn, which were in good repair in 1640 and 300 acres at Rosegarland, as well as 620 acres in Ballyduffe (Ballyowen?), Ballylannan and Rospile townlands in Ballylannan parish (Simington 1953, 90). Marcus Synnott and 17 dependents were listed for transportation to Connaught in 1653 (Hore 1900-11, vol. 5, 503), but members of the family settled in Clongeen (Murphy c. 1994, 46-7). Rosegarland was then granted to Robert Leigh and this was confirmed by King Charles II in 1666 (Hore 1900-11, vol. 3, 188-93).
The castle is situated towards the bottom of an E-facing slope with the meandering N-S Corock River c. 80m to the E. It is a rectangular structure (ext. dims. 12.7m N-S; 8.5m E-W) with battered walls surviving only to the second floor. It has been greatly altered with the insertion of large pointed windows and doorways, probably in the 19th century. There is a projecting garderobe tower at the N end of the W wall. The quoinstones and all dressed stone is granite. A pointed doorway (Wth 1.25m) towards the N end of the E wall leads directly at present to the ground floor which has a single embrasure with a large light (H 1m) on all walls except the W, where the embrasure may be destroyed by an inserted and pointed carriage gateway towards the N end. There is no murder hole or evidence of a first floor under the wicker centred N-S vault, although the ground floor was divided in two at one time by an E-W wall. Inside the entrance a lintelled doorway gives access to a stairs that rises in the N wall, and is lit by four lights, to what is probably the first floor over the vault which had three embrasures in the E and the W walls. The only original features are a cupboard in the S wall and a garderobe in the projecting tower at the NW angle. The walls are surmounted with modern crenellations, and rectangular turrets have been raised over three of the corners, while a tower of four upper stages was added to the garderobe tower. There is no evidence of a bawn unless it is on the site of a small walled enclosure (dims. c. 30m N-S; c. 30m E-W) defined by masonry walls with brick crenellation that has the tower house at its NW angle.

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: 21 February, 2013

References

Brooks E.St. J. (ed.) 1950 Knights' fees in Counties Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny (13th-15th century). Dublin. Stationery Office.

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

Murphy, I. (Ed.) (c. 1994) Clongeen through the ages. Authors.