Castle — Naul

Naul Castle originally built by the Cruise (Crues/Cruwes) family of Cruwys Morchard, Devonshire, in the late 12th or early 13th-century. The castle also known as the 'Black Castle' stands on the E edge of a ravine overlooking the Delvin River which marks the county boundary with Meath. A holy well (DU004-045003-) lies 155m to E, Naul church (DU004-045004-) and graveyard (DU004-045005-) stands 80m to S, watermill (DU004-045001-) 200m to W, bridge (DU004-045008-) and castle (ME034-010----) 165m and 330m to WNW respectively and a mill (ME034-009----) 85m to NNW. The castle siting in the Glen of the Naul was described in the early 19th century as at; 'a bend of the glen, on one of those rocky precipices, is the keep of the ancient castle of the Naul; a few yards above it is the church, and on the opposite side of the glen is Naul Park and a large corn-mill, the mill-dam being sustained by a natural ledge of rock. Westown, the seat of A. S. Hussey, Esq. is a little above the village' (Fraser 1844, 592). The cliff-edge siting of 'The Black Castle of the Naul' is now obscured by trees but the dramatic siting of the castle was captured in an engraving dated 1820 by John Greig from a drawing by George Petrie for the Excursions through Ireland (NLI, ET A415; Grose 1791, 31-2). On the 1837 ed. OSi 6-inch map a quarry is depicted immediately to the S and SE of the castle. In 1185 Stephen de Crues, held the manor of Naul, as recorded in Archbishop Alen’s Register (McNeill 1950, 14). In 1200 AD it was recorded that ‘Stephen de Cruwes [Cruwys/Cruise/Cruwys Morchard, Devonshire] gives to the K [ing] 15 marks sterling to have his land [Naul], whereof he was disseised by the K[ing].'s order. Mandate to Meyler Fitz Henry, justiciary of Ireland, to cause Stephen to have seisin of that land; and if within the time of disseisin anything has been taken therefrom, it, shall be accounted to Stephen in the 15 marks. Further mandate to Meyler Fitz Henry, that by counsel of the Barons of Ireland he inquire and certify how much land there is there, what it is worth, and what service it owes to the K[ing]. The K[ing]. until fully certified will not give Stephen his charter’ (Cal Doc Irel. No 113, 17). In 1227 it was recorded that the King had ‘taken the homage of Robert de Crus [Cruise] for half a knight’s fee in Nalle [Naul], which Stephen, his father, held of the K[ing]. in capite, and which descends to Robert by hereditary right’ (Cal Doc Irel. No 1527, 230-1). In 1292 the king commanded Walter de la Haye, escheator of Ireland to inquire into how much land Robert de Cruys of Nalle [Naul], lately deceased held at the time of his death. According to this inquisition, Robert de Cruys held at the Naul; 'certain edifices constructed with stone walls and oaken timber. They are altogether unroofed through bad keeping, and unless quickly repaired will fall for want of roofs' (Cal Doc Irel. No 1066, 467-8). The following land at The Naul belonged Robert de Cruys; 'in the carrot field, 140 acres of arable land in demesne; in the mill plain 120 acres of land, value of each acre, 12d.; in le Resk, 20 acres value of each acre, 6d.; and 13 acres of meadow, value of each acre 12d. In the mountain there are 36 acres of arable land, held by farmers who render 4d. an acre, one moiety at the feast, of the apostles Sts. Philip and James [May 1], and the other moiety at the feast of All Saints [Nov. 1]. At Lochmoyan there are 24 acres of arable land each acre is extended at 6d.; 6 acres of meadow, value, 7d. an acre; there is a mountain there containing 17 acres of pasture, extended at 6d. an acre; there is also a pasture called la Roche, useful for sheep, the profit of which they extend at ½ mark; there is also a moor useful for oxen, the profit of which they extend at 8s.; there are 8 cottiers each holding a cottage; they render in the autumn 3 days for each cottage. Geoffrey le Bret; renders 2s. for having a water course' (ibid.). The 1654-6 Civil Survey of Dublin recorded that in 1641, 'Christopher Cruse [Cruise] of Naal' an 'Irish Papist', was the owner of 250 acres of land in 'The Naal', on which stood, 'one old Castle with an old Hall covered with straw one Orchard one garden plott tenn tenem[en]ts Valued by ye Jury at one hundred & seaventy five poundes'(Simington 1945, 30). On these lands there also stood 'one open stone Quarry also a grove of Ashtrees set for ornament' (ibid.). The lands of the Naul consisted of 160 acres of arable, 10 acres of meadow, 40 acres of pasture and 40 acres of 'Mountaine and Heath', all of which belonged to Christopher Cruse of The Naul (ibid.). The lands of the Naul and the castle formed 'a mannor and kept Court Leet and Court Baron' (ibid.). The 1820 engraving by John Greig shows the E face of the rectangular shaped tower of the castle with tall chimney stack rising from the S and N walls with the E wall of a single storey high hall building running N off the NE angle. A chimney stack is visible above the top of the E wall of the hall and this may be rising from the S wall of the hall which was attached to the N face of the tower of the castle. A buttress or wall running up halfway along the centre of the E wall of the tower is still visible today. The E wall of the hall and the chimney stack no longer survive above ground, only a short projection of the E wall of the hall at the NE angle survives. A watercolour drawing in the Grose Collection of Naul Castle by Thomas Cocking dated 1791 depicts the NE angle of the castle from the river valley looking up towards the N and E walls the castle (NLI, PD 1976 TX). On this drawing the two-storey high watermill (ME034-009----) on the N side of the Delvin River in Co. Meath is depicted as an L-shaped mill with gable front facing onto the river adjacent to the road bridge crossing the river. The watercolour shows a two-storey high hall with A-shaped roof line on the N wall of the tower which appears to be cutting across an earlier window of the castle. This suggests that the roof of the hall was a later feature built against the tower which blocked up an earlier window. A possible parapet wall is depicted on the E side of the hall with a string course line indicating the start of the parapet. It is possible that the E wall of the hall was originally built as a bawn wall or curtain wall of the castle and this wall was later reused as the E wall of a hall that was added onto the E wall of the tower. An unfinished pencil and inkwash drawing of the castle dated c. 1791 from the NW side also in the Grose Collection (NLI, PD 1976 TX) shows the N face of the tower with a ground floor pointed doorway in the centre of the N wall of the tower which provided access from the single storey hall. The steeply pitched A-shaped roof line of the hall cuts across an earlier window ope and there is a window embrasure depicted in the centre of the N wall of the hall. The scar line of the destroyed W wall of the hall is shown on the NW angle of the tower. The drawing shows a first floor round-headed doorway in the centre of the W wall of the tower which was accessed by an external stone stairs. The presence of a first-floor entrance with external stairs indicates that this may be the original 13th-century first-floor doorway which gave access directly to the first floor hall of the castle (Elmes and Hewson 1975, 137). On this drawing a possible angle tower is depicted on the SW angle of the tower. This pencil drawing shows the roofline of the Hussey Chantry Chapel (DU004-045010-) with possible gable of the medieval Church (DU004-045004-) to the S and a single storey building to the SW of the castle. A plan of Naul Castle dated May 1791 shows the castle consisting of a small tower (int. dims. c. 22ft 9in./6.9m N-S x 17ft 6in./5.3m E-W) on the SE angle with hall (int. dims. c. 54ft 3in./16.5m N-S by 24ft/7.3m E-W) running off the N side of the castle standing in the SE corner of a large bawn (dims.