Castle (in ruins) — Fantstown

Westropp (1906-7, 192) recorded the fiollowing details about Fantstown Castle; '1583 Jas. ffant held ffantestown or Farren Inanta (Inq. Exch., 13). T. Burgat then held the C[astle]. of Fantistowne, alias Ballinantie, alias Ysbardstown ; his son John succeeded; the lands were in Athenessa Manor, under Earl of Kildare (Inq. Chan., 150). 1630 J. Burgat, of Fantstown, was trustee to Jas. .Casey, of Rathmore (Ib., 198). 1657 J. and Ellen Burgat held it (C.S., xxv., p. 14 ; D.S. A., 50, 56). 1666 Fanstown confirmed to Capt. H. Ponsonby and Lord Colloony (Act Sett.). The Fants resided near it till at least 1709, when N. Fant, of Kilmallock, made his will (Limerick Registry). Fabric - The C[astle]. is 34 feet [10.36m] by 16 feet 9 inches [5m]; walls, 5 feet 9 inches [1.75m] thick. The east door is pointed inside, and round outside; there are three stories; the second is vaulted. The fire-places and spiral-stair are perfect, the latter 50 feet [15.25m] high. There are bartizans to the north-west and south, all well preserved (O.S.L., 8, pp. 258-261)'. Fantstown Castle recently described by Salter (2004, 82) as; 'This 17m high 16th century tower measuring 13m by 8.6m had a cellar and a loft under a barrel-vault, three upper storeys and an attic within the lost parapet. The third and fourth storeys have fireplaces in side-walls, and the fifth storey has a fireplace in the SW end wall. There are bartizans containing rooms opening off the fourth storey on the NW and SE corners and there are corbels for a machicolation over the entrance in the NE wall. An arch over this end of the lowest level carries a passage leading from the spiral stair in the north corner round behind a room with gunloops to a latrine in the SE wall. The castle was held in 1583 by Jason ffant, and had probably then recently been erected by him. It was held jointly in 1666 by Captain Ponsonby and Lord Colloony'. Depicted on the 1654-56 Down Survey map of Kilbreedy parish as a tower house type structure with gabl-ended chimneystack (NLI, MS 718). The terrier of the Down Survey parish map recorded that in 1640 John Burgett and Irish Papist was the owner of Fantstown which 'accomodated a faire Castle and orchard & also with a Mill which is Driven by the River Lubagh' (Ibid.). The 1659 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that in 1640 John Burgat of Fatnstown was the owner of 'a Castle & gristmill with six Cabbyns', the 'Mill is now the Jointure of Ellen Burgatt Widdow' (Simington 1938, 237). Fantstown Castle described in 1840 as 'It measures on the inside from west wall to the wall running from doorway on east side inwards twenty two feet nine inches [6.9m] and from that to the doorway on east wall thirty four feet two inches [10.4m]. It measures from north to south wall sixteen feet nine inches [5.1m] inside. Thickness of the wall at west entrance is five feet nine inches [1.75m]. Breadth of doorway at east side is three feet four inches [1m] in the centre where it is built with chiselled lime stone, and pointed above; height to the point is five feet six inches. [1.67m] Outside this is a semicircular arch of limestone, dressed in a smiliar manner'. Its breadth at the ground is four feet [1.2m], height six feet six inches. [2m] This arch and the pointed structure attached to it on inside form the doorway. Thickness of wall here is four feet one inch [1.25m]. There is a Bevel on this side about ten feet [3m] in height. To the right as one enters the east door, a door of iron bars gives admittance to the foot of the stairs running to the top of the Castle. The stair case is spiral. The perpendicular height from the ground to the top is forty nine feet [15m]. This Castle consists of three stories; the floor next above the ground one is arched beneath. It may be supposed to have had four as it has lost some of its original height. Some fireplaces remain tolerably perfect in some of the apartments in this building and comparatively fresh plastering is visible on the walls of some of these apartments. Three of its chimneys still remain. It may be supposed to have had four; the original height may be supposed to have been sixty feet [18.3m]. Near the top on outside are two sentry boxes, one attached to it on north by west side and the other on east by south side' (O'Flanagan 1929, 77-8). A horizonal sheela-na-gig (LI048-095----) is located on the external face of a quoin stone on the NE angle of the tower house at first floor level. See attached Down survey map of Kilbreedy Parish and photograph of castle taken by Mike Searle. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 23 August 2021