Mellisson Castle — Mellisson

In grassland, atop a natural rock outcrop on the N-facing slope of the Slieveardagh Hills with panoramic views from W through N to E, with higher ground to S. Situated on the side of a public road with quarries opposite on the other side of the road and the remains of a small rectangular building (TS048-026005-) of possible medieval date. A church (TS048-026002-) lies 50m to the SW. Formerly the residence of the Cantwells who resided here until the 17th century (White, 1892, 104). In 1532 John Cantwell, Lord of Mellisson died and was buried in Kilcooley Abbey (McCormack 1989, 31-7). Described in the Civil Survey (1654-6) as the 'castle and bawne of Moylessane inhabited', with the proprietor in 1640 listed as Pierce Croake (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 101, 127). The Down Survey map (1655-6) shows a castle, church and 2 dwellings, one of which may be that located across the road from the castle (TS948-026005). The tower house is a four-storey rectangular tower built with limestone rubble, roughly coursed, with cut quoin stones, with a largely collapsed circular tower (int. diam. 1.9m) at the SW angle which contained a spiral stairs. The tower house was entered at ground-floor level through a doorway in the S face of the circular stair tower. This tower house is unusual in that there is a pronounced recess on the external S face up to second-floor level, above which the upper S wall, carried on corbels and the SW angle tower, projects over this recess. The E side of the recess is defined by a projecting garderobe chute at the E end of the S wall which serves the upper floors. The SW angle tower only rises to the first-floor level in circular form, above which, though broken out, the stairs appears to have been carried within a projection at the S end of the W wall, with a doorway giving access to the second-floor level. The ground floor is lit by two flat-headed slit opes, in the N and S wall respectively, while the E wall contains two blind arcades and the W wall only one, off centre to N. The first-floor was supported on a wooden floor and has a similar lighting arrangement. It is roofed by a barrel vault which was originally constructed with long vertical timbers, running E-W, which carried the centring. The chambers above the vault are inaccessible. A possible bawn wall (T 0.5m; H 1.3m) returns from the SW angle tower in a westerly direction towards the church, although this wall may be later, associated with a ruined 18th-century house to the NW. At the E angle of the tower house there is evidence for a bawn wall return, seemingly running southward parallel to the modern road. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011