What is recorded here

Newtown Fort rose on a Bantry bay knoll in the 1650s, its four pointed bastions guarding a village where 119 people lived before disappearing. Orrery built it, others strengthened it in 1672, then it was demolished in 1689. The ditch still marks the square shape beneath overgrowth, preserving the outline of a place that stopped existing almost as quickly as it appeared.

On top of a knoll on a slight promontory at E end of Bantry bay. Now heavily overgrown and difficult to make out. The ditch is preserved (Wth 4-4.5m; D 1.5-2m) and shows the outline of a roughly square fort (70m square) with pointed bastions at each corner; entrance to S; well in interior. Built in 1650s by Orrery; re-fortified in 1672 but demolished in 1689 (Gowan 1979, 251-3). Contemporary with the fort was a village known as Newtown which had a population of 119 in 1659 (Hourihan 1977, 86) but disappeared shortly afterwards. It was situated immediately NE of the fort (local tradition): no visible remains. See Breen, C. 2002 'Newtown; 17-century fort and village' in I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2000: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 50-51. Wordwell Ltd, Bray. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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