What is recorded here

No stones remain of the Norman ringwork built in 1213 on the sacred termon lands of St Cronan, yet the king’s command transferred Roscrea from Theobald Walter to Reginald de Pontibus without hesitation. The earth swallowed the fortification, but the seizure of holy ground likely sparked local resentment that no royal document recorded.

No visible remains of the fortification erected by the Norman forces in 1213 on the termon lands of St Cronan (Stout 1984, 112). In 1213 the king commanded Henry, Archbishop of Dublin, to give to Reginald de Pontibus full seisin of the castles of Dorles, Roskere (Roscrea), Armolen and Kakaulis, which belonged to Theobald Walter (Cal. doc. Ire vol. 1, no. 514). The present stone castle and bawn (TN012-010007-) may have been built on the site of an earlier fortification which was described as a 'mote et britagium' in 1245 (Cunningham 1987, 124). The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 22 September 2008

Built by Norman forces in 1213 on the termon lands of St Cronan, the castle was part of efforts to consolidate control in the region during the Anglo-Norman expansion. It is remembered for its strategic role in the granting of lands to Reginald de Pontibus by the Archbishop of Dublin, reflecting ecclesiastical and feudal land distribution practices of the period.

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