John Keenan Well

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Free-standing enclosed stone well, dated 1844. Located on the south side of Ballydrumman Road to the west of Leitrim village.

The well is set at a lower level than the road accessed by a short stone ramp. Built in rubblestone with a stone lintel to the square-headed opening. The lintel is inscribed '1844 ERECTED by John Keenan' in painted lettering. The opening has a riveted wrought-iron pedestrian gate. Within the structure is a stagnant pool with a quadrant vault constructed with rectangular lintel stones supported on the side walls; lime-washed interior. Recently-added stacked stone coping and rough-cast render to the roof and the sloping rear. The structure is abutted by a field gate to the east and a modern rendered wall and railing to the west as part of a nearby modern dwelling.

Setting

Located in a rural
setting on the side of Ballydrumman Road to the west of Leitrim village, with modern dwelling immediately to south.

Roof Stone
RWG N/A
Walling Rubblestone
Windows N/A

Historical information

The stone well in Ballydrumman townland is dated 1844 and an inscription reads that it was ‘erected by John Keenan’. This inscription correlates with the primary source evidence deriving from OS maps and valuation records.

The well does not appear on the first edition OS map (1833-4) and is first shown captioned ‘Fountain’ on the second edition of 1860, while a more recent edition of the 1960s/70s captions the structure ‘W[ell]’. The well is situated on land that was farmed by the Keenan family from at least 1828 when a John Keenan is noted in the Tithe Applotment book for Ballydrummond. Bernard Keenan was the farmer in the 1830s (Townland Valuation) and another John Keenan, most likely the builder of the well, appears as the occupier in Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64). However, the farm had passed out of the Kennan family by the 1870s.

References:
Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/35/1 First Edition OS Map 1833-4
2. PRONI OS/6/3/35/2 Second Edition OS map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/35/3 Third Edition OS Map 1901-2
4. PRONI OS/6/3/35/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1902-20
5. PRONI Tithe Applotment Book Parish of Drumgooland
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/359 Townland Valuation (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/51B Griffith’s Valuation (1863)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/5A-EAnnual Revisions (1864-1930)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Free-standing enclosed stone well house, dated 1844. An unusual stone well shelter of some interest in the locale. The inscribed date and builder adds to its interest. However, it is compromised by the modern repairs and does not meet the statutory and policy tests as a building of special architectural or historic interest.