The defensibility of Irish Tower Houses - CSGJ24

2011

Irish tower-houses, which are typically dated between c.1400 and c.1600 , are amongst the most common of upstanding archaeological monuments in Ireland, yet many points of contention persist amongst scholars as to their origin, date and function. One particular definition describes the tower-house as ‘a compact fortified house in which the hall is raised above the ground with one or more storeys above it’ . On a considerably smaller scale than the large curtain-walled castles of the thirteenth century, the tower-house was to provide the typical abode of the Gaelic and Anglo-Irish gentry of the fifteenth and sixteenth century . In construction the tower-house, in its simplest guise, was rectangular in plan and was up to six storeys in height with various defensive features including a vaulted roof over the ground floor, which was to theoretically guard against fire spreading to the upper reaches of castle. The ground floor was typically used for storing supplies and was often the first line of defence should the main door be breached, while the second storey provided the main hall, with the remaining storeys usually consisting of the private quarters. For further protection murder-holes were often present between the ground and first floors. The tower-house was sometimes protected by a walled-courtyard (Figs. 2 and 3), though this latter feature does not appear to have been universally constructed of stone and does not often survive into modern times. The study of bawn walls is very limited, as very little archaeological excavation has taken place outside of tower-houses. Significantly, the Civil Survey of the 1650’s mentions bawn walls at only 20% of the towers it lists . Although often regarded, not as true castles but rather as mere fortified houses, the type also includes examples on a very large scale such as those great tower-houses found in Counties Limerick, Clare, Galway and Cork . However, as Colm Donnelly points out, the term ‘tower-house’ is itself of nineteenth century origin and that contemporary historical sources regard these structures simply as ‘castles’ Although the subjects of demographic ethnicity and typology by regional distribution are touched upon in places, they are not specifically treated in this study.

Doctoral thesis, University of London., 1998

Dunalong 23,1 Plan of the defences 23,11 Ground plan (S) 23,111 First floor cloghan (Lough Hyne) 24,1 Visible remains and conjectured plan (S) 24,11 First floor Dunanore 25,1 Sketch plan of ground floor and bawn 25,ii Ground floor (S) z5,iii First floor (S) 25,1V Second floor (S) 25,V Third floor (S) 25,V1 Third floor mezzanine (S) 25,v11 Wallwalk (S) Derrylemlary 26,i Ground plan 26,ii Original first floor (S) 26,iii Original second floor (S) 26,iV Original third floor 26,v Interpreted plan of waliwalk (S) Farranamanagh 27,1 Ground plan Ballinoroher 28,i Ground plan 28,ii First floor (S) 28,iii Second floor (S) 28,iV Third floor (S) 28,V Fourth floor and wallwalk (S) '3 Kilgobbin 29,1 Ground floor 29,11 First floor (S) 29,111 Second floor (N.D.O.) 29,1V Third floor (N.D.O.) 29,V Fourth floor (N.D.O.) 29,vi Waliwalk (N.D.O.) Kilcrea 3o,i Ground plan o,ii First floor (S) 30,iii Second floor (S) o,iv Third floor 30,V Fourth floor (S) 3o,vi Restored waliwalk, roof omitted (S) cloghda 3i,i Ground plan 3i,ii First floor (S) 31,iii Second floor (S) i,iv Second floor mezzanine (S) 31,V Third floor(S) i,vi Conjectured original layout of waliwalk (S) Carriganacurra 32,1 Ground plan 32,11 First floor (S) 32,iii Second floor (S) 32,IV Second floor mezzanine (S) 32,V Third floor (S) 32,VI Waliwalk loft (S) O'Crowley's Castle 33,i Ground plan Timoleague 34,i Ground plan 34,ii First floor (S) '4 the Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAS) who provided practical help with the physical side of the production of the thesis. I would also like to thank all those who have cast light on different aspects of the work, from Irish place-names to clay pipes, who include: Dr. Terry Barry of the Department of Medieval History at Trinity College Dublin for his help with various enquiries Fred Bettes for allowing the use of his unit search computer program Dr. ohn Bradley of the Urban Archaeology Survey for his detailed information on the state of tower house studies when I was still very much at sea Josephine Brown for help producing the 'date-contour' map and computer support Fr. James Coombes of Skibereen, Co.Cork for encouraging my adolescent interest in the subject and providing many useful references Paul Ferguson, map Librarian of Trinity College Dublin, for his help with the Down Survey maps Ian Greig for patiently typing up reports for me Professor James Graham-Campbell of University College and Dr. Helen Clarke for their tremendous work in supervising this thesis Jeremy Hall, for his help with the production of the document My wife, Kate Hamlyn, for typing, editing, measuring in severe weather conditions, and making many useful suggestions The helpful staff at the Insh Ordnance Survey and the Gilbert Library, Dublin Paul McCulloch for suggesting I turned my interest in tower houses into an academic project Kenneth Nicholls for his help with Irish language and place-name questions Diarmuid O Murchadha, of the JCHAS for his interest in my work Ian Riddler for computer support, particularly with the unit search The officers of the Royal Irish Academy for permission to reproduce material My parents Edward & Stella Samuel and other members of my family and friends who have helped me both with photography and measuring tower houses My Sons Ned and Fineen Samuel, for going to sleep early Jan Scrivener, formerly of MoLAS, for printing many of my photos Tracey Wellman, Hester White and the staff of the MoI.AS Drawing Office, for their advice, assistance and use of its facilities The MoLAS IT Department for their help '7 Ca.. c/D c'. VD e'. e. e. Cl) C.') z z z z z > z . C C O >-> >.. >->..-. z C Cl -Eo 0 C Cu Cl --_a)-._-© r1 en -I-en •l-v z Table r (ii) Summary of basic features of described tower houses 23 (/D c: (ID -. (ID (ID z z Z Z 7 Z 7 z I>-C C C :z >•• >->-. Z IZ Ic'• z >-z z z >->.. Iz I.

The common perception of the tower house in the Netherlands has until recently been associated with the reconstructed castle of Lunenburg, or with a drawing of five tower houses in the southeast of the province of Utrecht as they might have looked like in theMiddle Ages: a square tower of about 10 × 10 metres in plan with a height of about 12 metres. Lunenburg castle is one of that five. The drawing suggests that there are just five tower houses in that area and that they all look alike. First of all, there are more than 35 tower houses in that area and they do not all look alike. Furthermore, they are not representative of the tower house in The Netherlands more generally. This paper offers a report on the investigation of these – and other – tower houses in the past 10 years.

This study looks at the tower houses in three baronies in the south and east of County Kilkenny with two main aims. The first of these is to make a basic record of all surviving sites in the study area, their plans, co-ordinates and basic histories as well as identifying and locating as accurately as possible all destroyed sites. This basic data is then used to look at the use of space in and around these sites in order to understand the ways in which space is manipulated and reacted to by the creators of late medieval castles. Siting factors are discussed using all sites within the county backed up with information from within the survey area including many historical details. This is followed by a chapter focusing on the interior of the sites where a holistic view of the tower house is advocated. A practical way of doing this using access or control diagrams is developed which builds on similar previous work but which attempts to push the technique to its limits in new ways. Chapter 3 consists of an intensive study of the exterior space around the tower house where the principal focus is on the application of computer analysis using Geographic Information Software. After a discussion on the use and pitfalls of the technology and its specific application to tower houses in Ireland several different analytical techniques are applied. These are mostly concerned with lines of sight between castles and people. Chapter 4 takes the conclusions of the preceding chapter and applies them in three case studies in order to develop a clearer and more nuanced understanding of use of space and siting at individual sites. The final chapter introduces a new method for graphing and analysing information about the priorities of the builders in a way which draws heavily on ideas developed in the previous four chapters.

The Tower as Late Medieval Lordly Residence, Shaun Tyas Press

This paper argues that the medieval Irish hall house is at least a parent of the later, much more wide spread Irish tower house. The paper uses landscape and statistical modeling to show that there are similar features between the two structures.

The Other Clare, 2002

Continuing our series of articles on the towerhouses and castles of Co. Clare, as taken from our ongoing survey, we explore and investigate three restored towerhouses in the district of Corcomroe, in north Clare. Two of the examples chosen are round castles, the third being a typical example of a sixteenth century square towerhouse. Photographs of these towerhouses before and after restoration are useful for comparison purposes. The description of Smithstown Castle was written before restoration took place.

Trowel Xii, 2010

The debate over the origins, function and date of the round towers of Ireland has been ongoing for a number of centuries. However, the majority of discussion has focused on their dating and possible continental origins, with little discussion of their function, symbolic significance, role in the exercise of medieval social power and the social relations behind their construction. They were not based on some pre-existing continental model, from Ravenna or elsewhere. They were not places of refuge as popular culture would have us believe, and it is argued here, as elsewhere, that these towers served as bell towers, although this does not preclude multi-functionality, the towers may well have served as reliquaries and storage areas. Christianity has always been a highly symbolic religion whose adherents are often highly adept manipulators of symbols. The possible role of sacred numbers in their planning and construction are discussed, in addition to the symbolic and ritual role of circularity itself. Round towers were and remain highly conspicuous monuments in the landscape, with an important role in the materialisation of social power relations, with the role of patronage by those controlling military, economic and political power resources in their construction particularly important.