What is recorded here

Bawn in Courtstown is a roughly square earthwork on a wet SSE-facing slope in County Kilkenny, possibly the remains of Courtstown castle. Its north and east banks still rise beside a waterlogged fosse, while beech, hawthorn, holly and ivy strangle the marshy interior. A narrow causeway marks the northern entrance, and cattle have broken an opening near the northwest angle. The place feels less like a ruined fortress than like a drowned room, half forgotten under roots and rain.

On a SSE-facing slope in an area of wet marshy ground. There is a good view to the NW-N-NE, otherwise poor. It is possible that Courtstown castle (KK018-028001-) was located within the interior of this roughly square enclosure, possibly a much denuded bawn (int. dims. c. 65m N-S; c. 60m E-W). A castle with square bawn is indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Cranagh and on the Down Survey parish map of Tullohan (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). The roughly square enclosure is define on the N and E side by a substantial external earth and stone bank (int. H 2.1m; ext. H 1.7m, Wth 7.6m) and waterlogged fosse (Wth 2.5m) and on the W side there is a short length of internal bank (int. H 0.7m; ext. H 1m; Wth 3.8m). There is a causewayed entrance (Wth 2m) on the N side. Near the NW angle there is a opening broken through by cattle. The interior is very wet and marshy and the bank is heavily overgrown with beech, hawthorns, holly and ivy. See attached images: KK018-028002-_02 extract from Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Cranagh (Hib. Reg., courtesy of Trinity College Dublin) KK018-028002-_03 extract from Down Survey (1655-6) parish map of Tullohan (Hib. Reg., courtesy of Trinity College Dublin) Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 16 December 2020

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