Moated site

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a fairly level landscape. William Brun and his son Nicholas witnessed the charter of Hervey de Montmorency to Dunbrody abbey (WX039-029001-) in 1178-82. Mulrankin was held by half a knight’s fee by William Brun in 1247 and by Nicholas Brun in 1307 from the Bigod estate (Brooks 1950, 34-5), but the original caput is likely to have been the motte at Oldhall (WX047-0024----). Patrick Browne is mentioned with others in 1381 in connection with 160 acres at Ballycappoge and the unknown Drumfellin townland, which Robert Brown owned at his death in 1634 (Jeffrey 1979, 54-5). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) David Brown owned the castle and 180 acres at Ballycappoge in 1640 (Simington 1953, 156), but Drumfellin is no longer mentioned and has probably been subsumed into Ballycappoge.
The moated site is a rectangular area (dims. 28m NE-SW; at least 44m NW-SE) defined by two overgrown fosses or moats (Wth 2.2-4m; D 1-1.8m) and an intervening flat topped bank (Wth of base c. 9m; H 3-3.4m) surviving on all sides the except SE, where there is a farmyard. It is used as a haggard with a farm building at the centre. The site of the castle (WX047-002001-) is marked as being within the moated site only on the 1940 ed. of the OS 6-inch map, but the moated site probably was the castle. Archaeological testing (06E1017) c. 100m to the SE produced no archaeological material or archaeological features (McLoughlin 2009). (Barry 1977, 213, WX 8)

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: 11 October, 2013

References

McLoughlin, C. 2009 Ballycappoge. No archaeological significance. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2006: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 552, No. 2087. Dublin. Wordwell.

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

Barry, T.B. 1977 Medieval moated sites of south-eastern Ireland. British Archaeological Reports, British Series 35. Oxford.

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

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