Inscribed stone in Portersgate

A small limestone plaque (Wth 0.53m; H 0.12m) is built into the wall of a nearby house at the gateway (WX049-016----) and, although damaged, has the incised inscription ‘Loftus Hall Esq 1680’. According to Walsh (1972, 7) this was part of an inscription that read in full ‘Henry Loftus of Loftus Hall, Esq. 1680’, which ran from one pier to the other. It might relate to a redevelopment of Redmond Hall (WX054-002----), c. 1.5km to the SW, that could have taken place c. 1700. (Hore 1900-11, vol. 4, 372; Colfer 1978, 52-3) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 5 January, 2014