House — 17th century in Ballylarkin Lower

On a slight break of a NE-facing slope, in pasture. There are good views in all directions, except upslope to the S. A castle (KK013-017001-) is located c. 30m to the WNW and a church (KK013-018001-) is c. 60m to the NE. The house appears to be within the SE quadrant of a rectangular enclosure (KK013-140----), possibly a bawn associated with the castle. There are wall-footings (Wth 0.9m) running NW of the house which may be associated with the castle. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 260), 'A few perches from the church [KK013-018001-], at the opposite side of the road, stands the front wall of a ruined house of about the year 1700; it is called "Mortimoore's house," from a Mr. Mortimer who occupied it, and who was murdered in Freshford, as the outcome of some agrarian dispute, in 1820 or so'. The house may be the same as the house with a chimney indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of 'Ballilurkan'. The house is depicted on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map as an L-plan house facing E, with an E-facing projection at the S end. A range of outbuildings are shown running NW-SE to the SW and W of the house. On the 1946-7 revision none of these buildings are depicted, though a line, indicating the E façade of the house, is shown on the 25-inch OS map. The house is constructed of roughly coursed limestone rubble, with some reused medieval stones which are likely to have come from the adjacent castle. By March 2012 only the five-bay E wall (L 13.6m; T 0.6m), without the projection, survived to first-floor level consisting of a central flat-headed doorway with two flat-headed windows on either side at ground level and five flat-headed windows above. Between March 2012 and June 2018 this façade collapsed eastward, remaining largely intact on the ground. Only a short length of the SE end (ext. E wall L c. 2m; ext. S wall L 1.04m) and NE angle (ext. N wall L 1m; ext. E wall L 1.55m) survive upstanding, with block and start quoins at the NE angle. There are gaps in the E face at the SE end where the E projection appears to have been keyed into the wall. The rear of the house is defined by grass-covered rubble, suggesting an overall width for the main block of c. 8.7m. See attached photographs: KK013-017002-_01 Remains of house in 2012 from E (Google Earth Street View) KK013-017002-_02 Remains of house from E KK013-017002-_03 Detail of E face of S end KK013-017002-_04 Detail of S face of S end KK013-017002-_05 SE angle interior from W KK013-017002-_06 NE angle from W with Ballylarkin church in the background Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 12 September 2022