Why this matters
A roofed gabled structure at Balsoon is recorded in 17th-century surveys, with Josaline Usher owning land there in 1640; its depiction on the Down Survey map highlights early land ownership patterns in the region.
What is recorded here
A roofed gabled structure is depicted at Balsoon on the Down Survey (1656-8) barony map of Deece (http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) Josaline Usher owned 169 acres there in 1640 and on the premises were ‘a stone house and a church’ (Simington 1940, 135). It is depicted as an oblong structure on the 1908 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. It is situated on a level landscape with a SSE-NNW section of the River Boyne c. 80m to the W and the parish church of Balsoon (ME031-020----) is c. 60m to the N. An oblong structure (int. dims 18.5m N-S; 3.28m E-W) has a barrel-vault with traces of wicker-centring. The vault is covered by an overgrown earthen mound and divided into 5 chambers by inserted walls. A lintelled doorway towards the N end of the E wall is the original entrance.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 9 June 2016
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