Castle (in ruin) — Arklow

Between 1185-9 the Calendar of Ormond Deeds recorded that; 'John, son of Henry King of England, Lord of Ireland, with the assent of his father, grants to Theobald Walter the castle of Arklow with the vill of Arklow and all lands pertaining thereto, to hold to him and his heirs by the service of a knight's fee, for all service' (Curtis 1932, No. 17, 8). This land grant suggests that there was probably an earth and timber castle constructed before the land grant of 1185-9. This castle may have taken the form of a ringwork and the rock cut ditch to the W of the stone castle may have formed part of the defences of this earth and timber castle. The form of the stone castle constructed by Theobald Walter may have followed the outline of the ringwork castle. The manor and lordship of Arklow was originally located in the county of Carlow and in 1601 a lease between Thomas, Earl of Ormond and Captain Laurence Esmond relating to this manor stated that all 'the castles, messuages, lands, tenements, etc., belonging to the same, saving to the Earl and his heirs a place for a weir [WI040-029012-] upon the river of Arklow, also all eyries of hawks and all game ; to hold to said Laurence, his executors and assigns, for a term of thirty years at annual rent of £60. together with 12 barrels of herrings to be delivered yearly to the manor of Arklow and sent from thence to the Earl's manor of Clonmore as often as herring fishing shall happen in the haven of Arklow' (Curtis 1943, No. 7, 9). According to the terms of his lease Captain Laurence Esmond, 'shall further repair the wall or bawn of said manor where ruined, and shall buttress it with lime and stone within two years' (ibid., 10). In 1571 the 'burgesses of the Earl's town [WI040-029----] of Arcloe' were required to, 'give yearly four labourers for four days to help the reparations and building of the castle and walls thereof, and at their own charges make strong gates, ditches and pales for the better defence of said town against rebels and evil-disposed people, and likewise workmen for the mending of the haven [WI040-029011-] of said town, and watch and ward the town orderly by day and night, and answer to the ordinary courts that shall be kept there by said Earl's seneschal or other officer appointed. Also to have a market-day once a week as the town in old time had, and the Earl to be a means to get a fair to be held there, provided the Earl shall have the custom' (Curtis 1941, No. 192, 211-2). In 1543 the castle was in the possession of John Travers, Master of the King's Ordnance in Ireland and was leased from Sir James Butler Earl of Ormond with the conditions that, 'John shall defend the town [WI040-029----], manor, lordship and castle of Arklow which he holds at Present by lease for a term of years of said Earl, and shall also do the best he can to win such lordships, meases, lands, tenements, etc., belonging to said lordship, etc., or to any part Of the Earl's inheritance in Leinster from the possession of the Irish withholding the same without lawful or just title, said Earl now grants to John an annuity of £13 6s 8d Irish out of the rents, issues and profits of said lordship, to have and to hold to said John as long as he remains the Earl's tenant of that lordship' (Curtis 1937, No. 311, 256-7). In 1594 there was a reference to the 'great hall of the castle of Arklow' which was the venue for 'several complaints exhibited by sundry of the inhabitants within the lordship of Arklow unto the Earl of Ormond as concerning several wrongs, injuries and other bad dealings used by said inhabitants, very pernicious and hurtful among themselves, whereby great discontentment and disquietness ensued thereof, for want of due course to be taken for redress of such wrongs and other indirect dealings as are continually growing betwixt said inhabitants as well for titles of land, actions of debt, as otherwise/ thereupon said Earl having a circumspect care of said inhabitants, being his tenants, directed unto us his pleasure, willing us, James Grace of Rathville in county Carlow, Edmond Gall and Piers McWilliam of county Kilkenny, to repair to the lordship of Arklow, calling before us such controversies as were depending betwixt the inhabitants' (Curtis 1943, No. 7, 8-9). The Urban Survey of Co. Wicklow described Arklow Castle as follows; 'The castle was the administrative centre of the medieval manor and in view of its position, on high ground at the west end of the town (WI040-029----) overlooking the Avoca river, it possibly replaces a pre-Norman structure. The remains consist of a stretch of curtain wall and a circular corner tower built on rock outcrop and consisting of randomly coursed rubble stone. These are essentially of thirteenth century date. The tower is now three floored (8m high) but Grose’s (1795, ii, opp. p. 62) view shows that it was originally higher. There is no access to the ground or first floor and the walls of the second floor are largely missing. There is a basal batter c. 2.5m high on the north east side. The first floor has a flat lintelled opening on the east but the jambs are missing. A small section of wall with a pointed doorway and chamfered sandstone jambs and a short flight of steps (possibly leading to a wall walk) remain in the south west side of the second floor. The curtain wall, some 8m high at its western end, runs south-east from the angle tower before turning almost due south where it reduces in height from 6m to 4m. In the high section of the wall beside the tower there are two loops with sandstone jambs and above these, close to tower, there is a jamb of a large window with bar-holes for glazing. The angle at the south east appears to be largely rebuilt as does the section of wall running south from there' (Bradley and King 1989, 5-6). The castle remains were described in the 18th century as follows; 'There is little more than half of a tower remaining; it makes part of the walls that inclose the barracks. It was in former ages much contended for by the English and Irish. In 1331, it was strongly fortified and in possession of the first, when it was violently attacked by the latter; but Lord Bermingham opportunely came to its relief, and with a small party defeated the O'Tools with considerable slaughter. However the Irish a short time after became masters of it, and on the 8th of August, 1332, the English obtained and re-edified it. In 1641, the Irish surprised this castle and put all the garrison to the sword; they held it till 1649, when it, with the neighbouring fortresses, fell into the hands of Cromwell, who marched from Dublin, in September, with a design to reduce to his obedience the south-east and south parts of Ireland, which he effected in a short time. This View was taken from an original drawing by P. S. Reyley, Esq. in the collection of the Right Honourable William Conyngham [1733-1796] (Grose 1795, ii, 62)''. The drawing of Arklow Castle has been attributed to Pope Stevens Reyley (Reilly) c. 1774 who was commissioned by William Burton Conyngham (NLI PD 2097 TX; Harbison 2012, 60-1, 194). View of Arklow Castle drawn by James Stark Fleming (1890-1920) has a sketch with the date 1700 which is of unknown provenance (NLI PD 1974 TX 1 (88); Hewson 1975, 116). In 1839 Eugene O’Curry of the Ordnance Survey recorded the following details about Arklow Castle; ‘The remains of an old Castle also may be seen in this town, consisting of one ruined round tower, which appears to have stood at the northern angle of the castle; the northern side of it is down to within about 12 feet [3.65m] of the ground; the south side remains to the height of about 46 feet [14m], having a pointed door, about 10 feet [3m] from the ground, by which one lands on an arched floor, from which is an ascent to the top through the wall, by 34 stone steps. From the south and west sides of this tower lines of walls extend to a considerable distance, and the old inhabit