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Alan Prutfot was a tenant of Dowth manor in 1253 and the boundaries of the townland were defined in the course of a dispute between Richard Proudfoot and the abbot of Mellifont in 1461, around which time the castle may have been built (Stout 2007, 348-9). A castle at Proudfootstown (32) in Dowth parish and Slane barony is depicted on the Down Survey (1656-8) barony map (http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) Sir John Netterville of Dowth and Lord Charles Moore of Mellifont jointly owned 130 acres there in 1640 but ‘a castle, a stone house, an orchard and a corn mill’ belonged to Lord Moore (Simington 1940, 351). The castle is depicted as in a farm complex on the 1836 ed. of the OS 6-inch map and as a small shell (dims c. 4m NE-SW; c. 3m NW-SE), probably a projecting stairs or garderobe tower on the 1908 ed. It is described (Balfour 1890) as the base of circular tower (diam. c. 3.5m, H c. 1.8m). No visible trace survives.
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of revision: 9 June 2016
This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed.
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