House in Sigginstown, County Wexford (WX053-001001-)

The Siggins family built the tower house (WX053-001----) probably in the 15th century, but from 1667 it became the property of the Jacob family who lived here into the 19th century (Jeffery 1979, 36-7). Attached to the N of the tower house is a rectangular two-storey and attic house (int. dims 13.95m N-S; 6.04m E-W). It has a seven-bay E-facing front constructed entirely of brick, which has a central doorway (Wth 1.33m) and three windows (Wth 0.8-1.02m) on either side. The W wall is masonry, with brick confined to the surrounds of the four windows or doorways (Wth 1.3-1.7m). The original doorway of the tower house together with the inserted doorway at ground level and the doorway inserted into the window embrasure of the N wall at the second floor all communicate with the house, which could date to the 17th or 18th century. The crease of the roof is visible on the outside of the N tower house wall, but there is no evidence of fireplaces in the house. Archaeological testing (16E0519) by C. McLoughlin identified deposits inside and outside the house as well as internal walls with two redbrick corner fireplaces (excavations.ie 2016:695) and further work by P. D. Sweetman (19E0037) revealed red-tiled floors from the nineteenth century occupation but no earlier material. Externally, the topsoil reduced to an undisturbed boulder clay everywhere but there was a cobbled surface E of the house. (Sweetman 2019) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 14 April, 2014 Amended: 2 February 2021