Bawn in Burncourt

In valley at foot of Knockmealdown mountains, on relatively level ground which drops off slightly to the S, in pastureland. The Civil Survey (1654-6) refers to 'Sir Richard Everards Mansion house, called Everards Castle the walls onely standinge and some cabbins within a bawne, the sd house beinge burned is yett without repaire' (Simington 1931, vol.1, 374). The N, E and S walls of the bawn enclosing Burncourt Castle (TS080-004001-) survive including the NE and SE angle of the bawn. There is a length of bawn on the N side (T 0.65m) roughly opposite the NE corner tower of the house. The W end of the N wall survives as a low wall (H 1.6m) running up to later farm buildings. The E wall (H 5m) runs N-S c. 40m E of the fortified house and the S wall (L 41.5m; T 0.65m; int. H 1.75m) runs E-W and has a blocked opening 7m from W end (W 1.37m). At the SE angle there is a bartizan which projects beyond the wall by 1.2m. The bartizan (H c. 1m) is supported on two double corbels to the S and E and by a single corbel with pyramidal chamfer at the angle. Approx. 2m N of the SE angle there is a small embrasure for a shot-hole, obscured on the external face by ivy. The ground level drops S of the bawn in line with the E wall of the bawn. Mid-way along the E wall, c. 57m from the SE angle, the wall has largely collapsed, wall-footing survives with an earthen bank above it. The wall has collapsed in the NE angle and an earthen bank remains. A drain has been cut c. 4m from the SE angle revealing a wall-footing 0.8m below ground level. There is no evidence of a base-batter. Later walls include a length of wall (L 25.8m) running E-W towards the SW angle of the fortified house, the wall has collapsed and a rubble wall rebuilt between the SW angle and the surviving length of wall which is of limestone rubble, roughly coursed (T 0.7m; H 3m). A length of wall (L 29m; T 0.9m; H 1.6-2m) runs from the NW angle tower, abutting the N end of the W wall. There is an entrance gap in the wall (W 1.4m) 1.75m W of the fortified house. A loose architectural fragment of wide chamfered surface with a large pyramidal broach-stop with punch tooling is possibly from the original bawn entrance.