House - fortified house

The National Monuments Service's description

The manor of Tildavin (Tillaghdovan) was held by the Hore, Rede, and St. John families in the 13th and 14th century by half a knight’s fee from the Bigod estate, and the name of the manor and parish became Tomhaggard over time (Brooks 1950, 35-6). References to the Rossiters of Bargy Castle date with certainty only from the 17th century and they are thought to be a branch of the Rossiters of Rathmacknee (WX042-029001-). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) William Rossiter owned a fair castle and windmill together with 80 acres at Bridge Bargy (Simington 1953, 128). He also owned in Tomhaggard parish a total of 185 acres at Tilladavin, Ballagh, Tomhaggard, Littletown, Little Crosscoile (Cross Scales?), and Little Tilladan, which was a part of Tilladavin. William was listed for transplantation to Connaught with four dependents in 1653 (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 502). Bargy was granted to William Ivory in 1667, and later passed to the Harvey family. The estate was confiscated by the Crown after 1798 because of the leading role that the owner, Bagnel Harvey, played in the rising, but it was returned to his brother James in 1816. The Harvey family retained Bargy Castle into the middle of the 20th century (Jeffrey 1979, 64-7).

The castle is situated on a low-lying landscape with a N-S canalised stream c. 170m to the E. It consists of a rendered three storey house of four bays (ext. dims 17.8m N-S; c. 9m E-W) with a four-storey stairs tower offset to the S and W. The original segmental arched doorway is on the W side of the stairs tower, and there is a heraldic plaque above it which bears a broad cross as its only device, although it is surrounded by five heads below. The doorway is protected by a machicolation on the parapet and there is a rebate for a yett. The crenellations are probably original and there is a corner machicolation at the NE angle supported on three corbels. Three chimney-flues are supported on corbels on the outer face of the E wall above the first floor. The castle was probably built in the later 16th century, and an internal oak panel has the inscription ‘IHS 1591’ and the initials ‘R.R. M.S.’ on the reverse side (Adams 1904, 42), undoubtedly commemorating a marriage. An extension (ext. dims. 8.2m N-S; c. 9m E-W), now of two storeys, to the S is possibly early 17th-century in date. Its E wall is on the same line as that of the main house, it has a corner machicolation at the SE angle, the crenellations are the same, and the S wall supports a chimney flue externally. The house was considerably altered in the 19th century when the windows were provided with pointed or elliptical heads. The castle is still occupied. (O’Callaghan 1980-1, 35-9)

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

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

O'Callaghan, J. 1980-81 Fortified houses of the sixteenth century in south Wexford. Journal of the Wexford Historicl Society, No. 8, 1-51.

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

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

Adams, C.L. 1904 Castles of Ireland. London. Elliot Stock.