Lea Castle (in ruins) — Lea

Large Anglo-Norman fortress situated in low-lying ground close to the S bank of river Barrow. One of Leask's towered keeps (Leask 1941, 50-51) and the only one which has entensive outer defences extant (Leask 1936, Fig. 14). Probably built by the Earl Marshall in the first quarter of the thirteenth century. Its standing remains consist of a large keep with large circular angle towers, an inner ward with gateway and a large outer ward with D-shaped twin-towered gateway which was probably added at the end of thirteenth century. Earthworks of unknown date on all but the N side of the castle. (Leask 1936, 143-98; Leask 1941, 50-51, Fitzgerald 1904, 325-51). Church (LA005-007-) and graveyard (LA005-007001-) located 380m to the SE. Deserted medieval settlement (LA005-006003-) located in fields immediately S of Castle and NW of church. In 1199 Maurice FitzPhilip gives to King John 400 marks, that he may have right according to judgement of the kings court touching Gessil (Geashill, Kings Co.) and Lega, whereof Gerald fitzMaurice FitzGerald (1st Baron of Offaly) deforces him, as is testified by charters which the King when Earl of Morton granted to Reginald de Boterell and William his brother (Cal. doc. Ire., 16). In 1203 upon the death of the 1st Baron of Offaly 'The King commands Meyler FitzHenry, Justiciary of Ireland, to casue to be delivered to William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, or his messenger, the Castles of Lega and Geisil, with other lands of inheritance, whereof Gerald fitzMaurice was seised in his demesne as of fee at his death' (Cal. doc. Ire., 30). By 1216 the 2nd Baron had come of age, he was a minor when his father died in 1203 and he obtained seisin of all his lands until he died in 1257 when Lea, Rathangan and Geashill appear to have descended to his grandson Maurice who in turned died in 1268. Thomas de Clare who was guardian of the lands of Ley sold their rights to Sir William de Valence in 1268 for 3500 marks. However the custody of the castle was contested by Roger de Mortimer who claimed rights to the land of Lea. The FitzGeralds received the land from the heirs of William Marshall who was Lord of Leinster and married to Isabel de Clare the daughter of Strongbow. The castle of Lea was built either by the Marshalls or by the FitzGeralds towards the end of the 12th century. In 1270 all the Irish waged war, and all the forts of Offaly except the Castle of Lega were destroyed (Cal. Carew MSS, 324). In 1279 John de Saundford, Escheator of Ireland, accompanied Robert de Ufford, Justiciary of Ireland, as far as 'the new vill of Leys' to resist the Irish of Offaly, then in rebellion against the King; he was accompanied by 38 sutlers, 70 horses and 171 retainers; for which he was allowed his expenses. He remained at Lea from February 9th to the 12th of that month (Cal. doc. Ire., 529). In 1294 'The Earle of Kildare deteyned the Earle of Ulster prisoner, untill by authoritie of a Parliamente holden at Kilkenny, he was delivered out of the Castell of Ley, for hys two sonnes, and for the invasion which the Erle of Kildare had made into Meth' (Anon. 1808, ). In 1297 John FitzThomas (FitzGerald, Baron of Offaly) received payment from the Treasurer of Ireland for ' fortifying the said John's Castle of Leghe'. In 1307 the O'Connors of Offaly, destroyed the castle of Geashill, and on St. Thomas's Eve burned the town of Ley; they laid siege to the castle there. In 1315 Edward Bruce set fire to the castle of Ley and burned the church there together with its tower or belfry (Cox's History of Ireland 1689). This event was described in Holinshed's Chronicles as in this year 'the Bruce in his returne towardes Meth [Meath], brente [burnt] the Castell of Ley, and so passed foorthe till hee came to Kenlys in Meth' (Holinshed 1577, 49). In 1346 the castles of Ley and Kilmekede (Ballyadams castle) were burned by the Irish under O'More. In 1422 the O'Dempsey's captured the Castle of Ley from the Earl of Kildare. In 1452 the Earl of Ormond captured the castle from the O'Dempsey's. In 1535 the Geraldine strongholds were described as ' Maynooth, Portlester, Rathangan, Carlagh, Lye and the Bridge of Athie… The Traitour hath conveyed all his substance and the most of his Ordnance into the Castell of Ley' (Anon. 1834, 229). In 1641 rebellion the castle was taken by Henry O'Dempsey which was later taken back by the Parliamentarians under Lord Lisle. It was then taken over by the Confederates under Lord Castlehaven. In 1650 the Parliamentarians under Colonel Hewson took back the castle and in order to prevent it from ever been occupied about two thirds of the castle was blown up with gunpowder. In 1712 Hector Graham lived in a portion of the outworks of Lea Castle which he repaired, this may have been the part of the castle around the gateway into the inner ward of the castle. In the nineteenth century the castle was described as 'the ruins of the central keep, surrounded by a very extensive fortified bawn, whose walls on the north side are washed by the Barrow when it is in flood. Originally it was surrounded by a broad water-trench. The remains of the gateway, containing the portcullis was a small castle in itself. The keep was an ablong building, having a large round tower at each angel (the northern one alone now stands), similar in construction to the Le Marshall Castle of Carlow. Two parallel vaults, 49 and a half feet long and 13 feet wide, with a division wall three and a half feet thick, occupy the ground floor. The outer walls of the keep are all 10 feet in thickness. The longer side of the castle between the angle towers on the north-west side measure 41 and a half feet, and shorter length between the towers 22 and a half feet. Half-way down the shorter side is an arched entrance, 5 and a half feet wide, leading into a vaulted chamber; another 6 feet wide, passes through the shorter wall from the inner vault, which is connected with the other by a doorway. All the southern and eastern portion of the castle and bawn are completely battered down, some huge rock like masses of masonry lying around show how thoroughly the Cromwellians carried out their design of dismantling this once magnificent building. Between the keep and the gateway fortifications, inside the bawn, is a strong loop-holed wall, also containing an arched gateway. It appears to cut the bawn in two, as far as one can judge by the exisiting remains, so that even when the enemy had forced their way through the main gate they still had a formidable inner defence to take or scale before reaching the keep itself' (Fitzgerald 1904, 344-5). Situated on a slightly raised area in low lying countryside close to the S bank of the River Barrow. One of Leasks towered keeps and the only one with surviving outer defensive walls. Appears to have been built at the beginning of the 13th century. Held mainly by the FitzGeralds under different overlords. It guards a ford on the River Barrow. Part of the Keep i.e. SW/SE sections especially suffered after an explosion in 1650. On the evidence of a window with trefoil pointed heads in W wall, Leask dates the keep to 1250. The castle consists of an outer ward, an inner ward, a keep (ext. dims 21.8m N-S; 25.9m E-W; wall T avg. 3m) and a gate building to the E of the keep with the main massive twin-towered gatehouse (ext. dims. 15m NE-SW; 13m NW-SE; wall T 1.5m) in the S curtain wall. It is built with roughly coursed limestone blocks and rubble. The gateway is situated in S section of the curtain wall (wall T 1.5m) of the outer ward (dims. 59.5m N-S; 74.5m E-W) and consists of two elongated D-shaped towers protecting an entrance passage (L 9.7m; Wth 3.7m). The S tower has the S wall missing and only the E portion of its barrel vault survives. There are three opes in its rounded eastern end (facing E, N and S). Two are broken out while the surviving one at the N is a simple slit. The roof over the ground floor was barrel vaulted and the tower appears to have on