Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a level, low-lying landscape with the E-W Bridgetown river c. 130m to the N. According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) a castle and 60 acres at Bridgetown was owned by William Browne of Mulrankin (WX047031----) in 1640 (Simington 1953, 155), but it was mortgaged to Nicholas Rowe for £50 (Jeffrey 1979, 68-9). During the 1641 rebellion it was occupied by Rowe and his wife Ursula who were robbed by the Brownes of Mulrankin castle (Browne and Whelan 1987, 470). The castle was removed in 1830s according to John O’Donovan writing c. 1840 (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 203), and according to Lewis (1837, vol. 2, 423) it was associated with the Keating family. The site of the castle is marked on the 1839 and 1940 eds of the OS 6-inch map. There are no visible remains of a structure at ground level in pasture. The site of St David's Well (WX047-027----) is c. 25m to the SE. Archaeological testing (06E0014) just to the N and E failed to produce any related material (McLoughlin 2010), and testing (08E0647) c. 80m to the NE had a similar result (O’Neill 2011).

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: 14 October, 2013

References

Browne, B. and Whelan, K. 1987 The Browne families of Co. Wexford. In K. Whelan and W. Nolan (eds), Wexford: History and Society, 467-89. Dublin. Geography Publications.

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

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.

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

O'Neill, N. 2011 Bridgetown South. No archaeological significance. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2008: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 371, No. 1271. Dublin. Wordwell.

McLoughlin, C. 2009 Bridgetown, Medieval. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2006: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 552, No. 2091. Dublin. Wordwell.