Castle in Williamstown, County Westmeath

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What is recorded here

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Situated in a farmyard on low-lying pasture-land on the N face of a high ridge running E-W. Lough Derravaragh 1.2km to SW and bog 1.8km to W. No castle is depicted on the 1657 Down Survey map of Mayne parish (NLI MS 723-4). In 1641 the terrier of the Down Survey map of Mayne parish listed the chief proprietor of the lands of Williamstowne as Thomas Fitzsyman(ibid.). Depicted as ‘Castle’ on 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map, and as ‘Castle (in Ruins)’ on the 1911 ed. OS 6-inch map. Poorly-preserved square shaped tower house (ext. dims. 8m E-W; wall T 1m; approx. H 5m) surviving two storeys high built of undressed limestone blocks laid in regular mortared courses with rounded quoins. Only the N wall survives intact along with short stretches of the N ends of the E (L 2m) and W (L 4m) walls. The S half of the castle has been levelled and post-1700 farm buildings have been built up against the external face of the W wall. Remains of a springing for a stone vaulted ground floor roof visible on the inner face of the N wall. Beneath the springing of the vault there is a narrow flat-headed loop or window at ground floor level. Possible traces of a destroyed stairways visible in the NW corner which gave access to upper floors. Above the vault at first floor level there are the remains of a large broken out window visible in the N wall. A blocked up window ope is visible in the E wall at first floor level and a small window ope can also be seen in the W wall at first floor level. Relatively No visible trace of a bawn wall.

From the National Monuments Service (Archaeological Survey of Ireland) record WM007-002

Places near here

Photo credits

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Maker not stated on source page, www.dreamstime.com
Maker not stated on source page, commons.wikimedia.org
Maker not stated on source page, ru.pinterest.com
Malene Thyssen, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Algirdas at Lithuanian Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

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