Gateway

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a level landscape and at the E end of the roadway (WX046-102----) from Ballymagir castle (WX046-052001-). It is also on the original W shore of the Broad Water inlet of Ballyteige Lough, which was called Mablen Haven in the Civil Survey (1654-6) (Simington 1953, 149). Archaeological monitoring (05E1096) of a windfarm project identified the gateway in an overgrown area. It has two rectangular masonry piers (dims 0.8m x 0.8m; H 2.5m plus) placed 3m apart, each pier having worked granite corner stones, and they may have supported finials in a Renaissance style. They are bonded with sandy lime mortar that includes shell fragments (Hurley 2006, 19). It is postulated that there may have been a quay here from the middle ages (Hurley 2009). However, there is no mention of one in the Civil Survey, although FitzNicholls Dock, which would be in Ballyharty on the E side of the Broad Water inlet is recorded (Simington 1953, 149). The road and gateway may be late 17th or 18th century in date. (Hurley 2016)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 20 August, 2103

References

Hurley, M. 2009 Richfield. Monitoring. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2006: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 559-60, No. 2127, Dublin. Wordwell.

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

Hurley, M. 2016 ‘A lost gateway at Richfield (Ballymagir castle), Co. Wexford.' in I. Doyle and B. Browne (eds) Medieval Wexford: Essays in memory of Billy Colfer, 509-13. Dublin, Four Courts Press