House in Clare Beg

On low-lying flat island in the River Anner. The Civil Survey (1654-6) refers to 'The house & lands of Claire' which in 1640 was in the ownership of 'Edward Butler of Clare Esqr Deced Irish Papist' and the 'sd lands hath on it a good stone house of late repaired by Captn Mathew Jacob now occupier thereof for tearme of seaven yeares by demise from the Comrs. Of Revenue' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 171). It is built on a raised earthwork defined by scarp (H 0.62m) with a berm (Wth 11.55m) to the NW. The Civil Survey reference to the 'good stone house' probably encompasses this smaller fortified house which occupies the W angle of the bawn (TS070-083004-). It is 14.4m NW of the larger fortified house (TS070-083003-) and tie-stones projecting from the S end of the SE wall indicate where the bawn wall connected both buildings. The house (int. dims. at least 9.75m NE-SE; 4.83m NW-SE) is two storeys high with a stout rectangular chimney at the apex of the SW gable and is built of limestone rubble, roughly coursed with roughly cut limestone quoins. Only the SW gable survives intact, most of the NW wall (int. L 9.75m; T 0.96m) and a short length of the SW wall (L 1.9m; T 1.14m) survives. The house was lit by at least three windows in the ground floor, one at the W end of the SW gable and two in the NW wall. All three windows are flat-headed horizontal windows (dims. Wth 0.53-0.62m; H 0.31m), chamfered externally with hood-mouldings with bar-holes for two vertical bars and one central horizontal bar. Near the present internal ground-floor level (H above ground 0.27m) at the W end of the NW wall there is a small rectangular opening (Wth 0.16m; H 0.13m) which opens out on the external face as a horizontal opening (Wth 0.5m; H 0.17m) with projecting stone sill (projects 0.14m). Although very narrow this must have functioned as a gun-loop, though the internal ground level most have been lower to enable the shooter to kneel while firing as there is not enough space to lie in front of the opening. There is a well-cut circular gun-loop with external chamfered surround at first-floor level at the S end of the SW wall within a narrow recess between the SE wall and the chimney breast. There is a fire-place at the W end of the SW gable at first-floor level. Only two window embrasures survive at first-floor level, both on the NW wall, though the windows are gone and the wall does not survive above embrasure level. All the embrasures continue to floor level and the first-floor was carried on a wooden floor supported by corbels, four are visible along the NW wall, though only two are fully intact.