What is recorded here

Castle, motte in Stephenstown was a flat-topped earth mound beside the River Fane, likely the oldest anchor for the later tower house. It stood low enough to be doubted, yet its shape and company suggested a place where people had watched the water and kept a home for generations. The mound is no longer visible in the land, but the river still passes the spot where a small castle once rose from the soil.

Situated on a slight rise close to the N bank of the River Fane in Stephenstown demesne not far from the tower house of the same name (LH011-051----). It consists of an almost circular low flat-topped mound (summit max. diam. 12m E-W, 11.5m N-S, H at S c. 3.5m, at N c. 2m). It has been disturbed at the NE side by the removal of large trees. The mound is quite low for a motte but its flat top would seem to preclude it from being any other type of monument. Its proximity to the tower house might be a telling factor in favour of it being a motte, indicating continuity of settlement. It was removed between 1966 and 1995 (OSI images). The above description is derived from both the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986) and the 'Archaeological Survey of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1991). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of revision: 28 April 2016

Built in the late 12th or early 13th century, likely by a local Anglo-Norman lord or garrison, the motte in Stephenstown is important as a defensive and administrative feature associated with the broader medieval settlement and tower house nearby, reflecting early colonial military architecture in the region.

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