Windmill

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a local high point overlooking the sea shore c. 225m to the SE, and c. 500m WSW of Greenore Point. A windmill and two small houses are marked on the Down Survey (1656-8) barony map of Forth and the windmill is also on the parish map of Killilane or St. Helen’s at a townland called 'Windmill and Allans Ring', but ‘Ring’ is probably a mistake for ‘Bing’ as the townland includes Greenore Point (Hore 1949, 45). The name Bing is derived from the Irish binn – a peak or promontory. According to the Book of Survey and Distribution (1660s) the townland was known as Bin alias Windmill and was owned by Phillip Lampert of Ballyhire (WX048-034----) in 1640 (Simington 1953, 307). A windmill is marked on the 1839 and 1940 eds of the OS 6 inch map.

This is a cylindrical tower (ext. diam. 4.05m; int. diam. 2.3m) of at least two storeys (H c. 4m) with opposing doorways at E (blocked) and W (Wth 0.7m; H 1.87m). Apart from some cupboards on the ground floor there are no internal features. At the first floor there are slit windows at E, S and N. The top of the wall has a coping, and the mill may be reduced in height.

See the attached view from the Down Survey parish map (N at right) reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland (Ms 725).

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: 6 January, 2014

References

Hore, P.H. 1949 The barony of Forth. Part IV. The Past 5, 13-59.

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