Dalway's Bawn

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Rectangular complex of stone defensive agricultural buildings, built c.1610, comprising a 9-bay 2-storey road-fronted range to the east flanked by a pair of circular-plan flankers, each having a gabled projection; attached to the north is a further multi-bay two-storey range; to the west is a 5-bay 2-storey lean-to building with a further flankers to its northwest corner. A tall wall encloses the south side of the bawn while late 20th century concrete farm buildings occupy the north end of the complex.
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Hipped corrugated iron roof to the principal building (east) with gablets to the ridge, a red brick eaves course and steel rainwater goods to the west elevation only. Hipped natural slate roof to the north range with black clay ridge tiles and a red brick eaves course. Natural slate conical roofs to both towers fronting onto the road, (restored 1996), surmounted by lead cones and lead valleys to the gabled projections. The southeast flanker has a stone and red brick chimneystack rising from the west and a slight bow to the gabled projection. The projection to the northeast flanker is terminated in a corbie-stepped gable with a carved red sandstone apex-stone. Metal box-guttering to redbrick eaves on both flankers and projections.

Uncoursed rubble stone basalt walling with lime mortar to the principal structures having squared quoins to the corners and loop-hole openings to the east and north buildings. Uncoursed rubble stone basalt walling to the towers with pinnings of knapped flint.

Square-headed window openings to ground floor east elevation of the principal building with sandstone ashlar lintels, slate sills and six-pane steel pivot windows. Voussoired stone arches are visible to the upper floor (now blocked up). A central round-headed door opening is formed in flush voussoired ashlar stonework with a chamfered reveal and a later timber plank door flanked by sidelights and an overlight.

Square-headed window openings to the flankers with bipartite red sandstone ashlar splayed frames and central mullion (now glazed in perspex). The north range has had most of its window openings blocked up, with some later square-headed openings formed in steel I-beams. To the west elevation of the principal building and to the east elevation of the west range, most window and door openings are round-headed and formed in flush squared voussoired basalt. The west range contains a round-headed door opening and a segmental-headed carriage arch opening, both with an alternating white flint and basalt voussoired stone arch. Some 20th century timber plank doors remain.

Roof Covering Natural slate/Corrugated iron
Walling Uncoursed rubble basalt
Windows Replacement iron
Rainwater goods Replacement metal

Historical information

According to Brett, the Bawn was built in 1609 after a grant of letters patent from James I to John Dallwaye of Carrickfergus in 1603. He quotes contemporary sources who write of seeing ‘... a ffayre Bawne 15 foote high with 2 rounde flankers buylte by the sd Dallawaye upon his owne lande at Brade Island, with-in w’ch Bawne he erected a pritie house of tymber after the English manner tatched for the pr’sent but intended to be slated’. (p. 22).

Brett further writes that in 1858 Alfred Lee published a description of the ground plan, which comprised a curtain wall 133 feet long between the front towers, each 30 feet high with an internal diameter of 12 feet; and quoted in full an agreement of 1632 with William Miller, mason, for ‘putting up 4 staircases in the 4 turrets at £8 apiece’, and other work, including chimneys, ‘pidgion holles’, and windows of freestone. (p. 22)

The bawn is shown on the first edition OS map of 1832. Griffith’s Valuation of 1859 records a ‘a house, office and lands’, occupied by Marriot Dalway with the property held ‘in fee’. The building is valued at £55.

Valuation Revisions from 1893 to 1904 record that the building is vacant, although still owned by Marriot Dalway. In 1914, the property is split into ‘houses', which are valued at £33, and ‘offices and yard’, occupied by Marriot Dalway and valued at £20 (in 1909).

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/47/1 -First Edition OS Map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/47/2 -Second Edition OS Map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/47/3 -Third Edition OS Map (1901-2)
4. PRONI VAL/1/A/47 -Townland Valuation Map (1836)
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/119 -Townland Valuation Fieldbook (1836)
6. PRONI VAL/2A/1/47A -Griffiths Valuation Map (1857)
7. PRONI VAL/2B/1/16 -Griffiths Valuation Fieldbook (1859)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/7/18 A-F -Valuation Revisions (1864-1929)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

As a monument partly in state care, this site is of great historic importance due to its rarity, age and as testimony to the strategy and building styles of the early Scottish settlers in Northern Ireland. Despite the loss of one flanker and the original dwelling house contained within, this early bawn retains an impressive external aspect to the road constituting a major landmark.