Settlement cluster in Rochestown

On the summit of a ridge, overlooking a valley to the E. The River Suir flows c. 500m to the W, in undulating terrain. In the Civil Survey (1654-6), reference is made to 'the walles of a Castle and a little castle both burned, a slate house, and a bawne about them' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 348). Power (1908, 53) describes how 'the castle of Rochestown was stormed in 1647 by Inchiquin who put its fifty warders to the sword and burned "much corn and divers towns thereabouts'. The settlement consists of a tower house (TS082-055001-) and bawn (TS082-055002-), church (TS081-042001-) and graveyard (TS081-042) and earthworks. In the field S of the tower house there is a roughly curving natural ridge, the top of which appears to be defined by a very low, old field bank (G.S.I. May 1977 S. 688/9). There is flooding at the base of the ridge in a natural hollow. In the field E of Rochestown tower house the ground undulates gradually to the W in gently undulating terraces visible on an aerial photograph (Bord Gais 6677). It is possible that an old field boundary followed the line of the edge of the ridge. In 1981 an area c. 150m S of the tower house, was excavated in advance of the laying of the gas pipeline (MacLeod in Cleary et al. 1987, 146-50). This excavation revealed that the terracing was a result of man-made activity, most of the terraces showed evidence of ridge and furrow cultivation. A trackway, partly cobbled, was also uncovered. Finds from the trackway included a 1689 gunmoney sixpence and 17th-century pottery. According to the excavator this gave access to each terrace from the vicinity of the tower house and probably also to some associated settlement (ibid.). The finds suggested that the terraces were tilled until the later half of the 17th century (ibid. 148-50). At the time of the excavation two platforms, one circular (diam. 10m; H 0.3m), the other semi-circular, were noted outside the excavated area, close to the trackway (ibid. 148). It was suggested that these were settlement features associated with the terraces. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 10 February 2014