Castle — Carbury

The Barony of Carbury was granted to Meiler FitzHenry, but was later a manor in the ownership of William Marshal: it is first mentioned in 1234, by which time the earliest phase of the masonry castle must have been built (Sweetman 1999, 38; p. 191 for plan). Erected by the de Bermingham family, reputedly, in 'Ua Ciardha's fort' (J Ard Clon AS 1935,64). In 1305, Peter de Bermingham, Lord of Tethmoy, arranged the massacre of some 30 leading O'Connors of Offaly and their followers at his castle at Carbury, following which there was, 'great warfare … between the foreigners and Gaedil in Leinster and Desmond', while in 1368, the Sheriff of Meath was imprisoned by 'the malefactors of Carbry' (Otway-Ruthven 1993, 178, 219). In 1447, Lord Furnival rebuilt the castle (BBB 1850, 27-28, 30-32), which was subsequently 'demolished' in 1475, and again in 1556, when it was plundered and burnt. In 1562, ownership passed to the Colley family, ancestors of the Duke of Wellington, (JKAS 1960, 368), and it was finally abandoned in 1774 (JKAS 1946, 223). A multi-period structure comprising a probable 12th century earthwork castle/motte (KD008-001001-), abutted at E by a 13th century Anglo-Norman masonry castle (KD008-001002-), which was enlarged to N and E into a late-16th/17th century fortified house (KD008-001003-) with later, landscaped gardens (KD008-001004-) to E, SE and S, associated with the 18th/19th century alterations and occupancy of the house. Prominently sited at the N end, but off the summit, of Carbury Hill (OD 470 feet) in an isolated area overlooking bog to N and E and pasture to SE and W. Higher ground limits aspect to SSW and carries three barrows (KD008-003----, KD008-004---- and KD008-005----). A church (KD008-001005-) and graveyard (KD008-001006-), c. 80m down slope to S may have medieval origins. The motte (KD008-001001-) is a steep-sided, flat-topped, sub circular earthwork, (surface diams. 26m E-W; 23m N-S; H c. 4m over S and W, 5m over N ) which carried the original (? timber) castle of which there is no visible surface trace. The motte may subsequently have been reused as a bawn or bailey associated with the Anglo-Norman masonry castle, as evidenced by; a lump of mortared masonry (dims. L 2m; Wth 2m) at NW which may be the remains of an angle tower off which grassed over wall-footings run to E and S; a short length of battered retaining wall (L 2.3m; H2.2m) at the base of the motte at W; a collapsed section of masonry at SE, and a shallow fosse (Wth 2m;D 0.1m-0.2m) at NE with reverting stones on its W edge. Part of the Anglo-Norman masonry castle survives as a sub rectangular structure (traceable int. dims. L c. 19.2m E-W; Wth c. 13.4m N-S; wall T 1.9m) defined by conjoined E and S walls of random rubble construction, surviving to three storeys and lit at ground floor level by a loop in the E wall and one in the S wall. Entered through a later, plain, flat-arched and very tall doorway (H 3.8m; Wth 1.6m) in the S wall, approached externally via a stone-revetted ramp (Wth 6.5m) which is not bonded to the castle wall. An 18th century Thomas Penrose watercolour shows the remains of parapet walls on each side of this ramp (Berenger Collection UCD, Wat 26b). The inner face of the E wall contains large beam-slot holes (dims. L 0.4m; Wth 0.4m; D 0.4m) marking original first-floor level. This first phase of the stone fortress may date to shortly before 1234 and not long afterwards, in the late-13th century, three parallel barrel vaults (orientated N-S; av. H 2.7m; Wth 2.85-3.3m) were inserted in, but not bonded, to the original structure; the E-vault now partially collapsed. The W wall (T 0.9m) of unbattered, coursed rectangular blocks is later again and contains a doorway with segmental pointed arch, of possible 16th century date, and may follow an older wall line. Collapsed rubble obscures the N end of the ground floor, in which direction the castle was later extended (new max. int. L c. 25m N-S). The N wall, of randomly coursed masonry, is stepped N from W to E and is battered, except for its W end, and has four loops at ground floor level. A tall, plain chimney stack rises at its E end. At the NE angle a tower projected N but only a small portion of its E and S walls survive. It was accessed through a doorway with slightly pointed segmental arch at ground-floor level, and had a similar doorway above. The E wall is also battered and has three broken-out windows at ground- floor level; three at first-floor level (one with hood moulding and portion of a transom); three at second floor level (one four-light with mullion and transom, and hood moulding), and three Jacobean-style chimneys crown the wall. The S wall of this later portion of the building stands to the N of the 13th century S-wall and its gabled top is obscured by ivy. A plain, rectangular stone structure with base-batter (ext. dims. L c. 8.5m E-W; Wth c. 4m N-S) stands at the external base of the S wall but is not bonded to it, and may have been a gun-platform. A high, vertical quarry face runs along the W and N of the motte suggesting that this area may have been quarried originally to provide building stone for the castle; a process which would have simultaneously augmented its defensive siting. (CUCAP AHM, 72, 73, 75; AOZ 15; Meagher 1979-80, 118; Fitzgerald 1915-17, 369-384; Bence-Jones 1978, 64; Herity 2002, 30-31 (89 - 91)) Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011