Bawn in Scurlockstown (delvin By.)

Only the E half of Scurlockstown Castle (WM008-063----) survives which stood on the W side of a possible bawn defined by a polygonal shaped bank and fosse clearly visible on Digital Globe orthoimage taken between 2011-1. According to local folklore, Scurlockstown Castle in the parish of Clonarny, barony of Delvin, was the site of a castle built by Hugh de Lacy (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0722, Page 002; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5009033/4979216). No castle is depicted in the townland on the 17th century Down Survey maps. On these maps the townland of Scurlockstown is owned in 1640 by Edward Nugent (NLI, MS 723-4). Scurlockstown Castle (WM008-063----) and bawn was described in 1955 by Henry A. Wheeler as follows; ‘It was apparently a late castle (probably 15th century), of which only one wall is now standing. There was apparently a smallish rectangular tower with round corner turrets. The E wall with SE corner turret, stands to a height of about 25 ft (8m). Little cut stone remains and no opes of any architectural character. There was a newel stairs now destroyed in the SE turret. Not enough remains of the other walls to determine the dimensions of the castle. The E wall is 37 ft 6in. [11.43m] long externally including the SE turret. Foundations of the NE turret are visible but its exact size is uncertain. There are signs of considerable patching of the wall, apparently not recent, but carried out after the castle had become a ruin. Presumably a former landowner took steps to preserve it as a picturesque ruin. A number of stones have been robbed from the lower courses (external) of the wall. There are traces of a substantial double bank and ditch of the south. These may be part of the defences, but bear no definite relation to the surviving fragment so that they may be nothing more than a disused field boundary’ (SMR Report 13/04/1955). Castle was described by Joe McCabe in 1973 as; ‘This consists of a keep of which only one side and the site much ruined remains of two projecting circular corner turrets remain. Enclosing this, are the remains of a grass-covered bank between two fosses. This survives only in part. It appears to have been rectangular, no definite trace of corner towers. There are grass-grown remains of structures inside the enclosure, and there are grass-covered remains of other structures outside its SE corner. The keep has no datable opes surviving’ (SMR File 29/03/1973). Castle described by Jim Reynolds in 1973 as follows; ‘The east wall of castle and two circular corner turrets are surrounded by an extensive series of earthworks. The main feature of the site is a roughly triangular earthwork consisting of a low double bank and fosse on the western side, this earthwork merges with the field boundary. On the northern side, the earthwork has been partly obliterated & a laneway runs along the line of the fosse. A number of banks divided the area inside the earthwork. At the SE corner a line of earthworks extends away from the double embankment’ (ASI File 17/05/1973). In 1981 the castle was described by Brian K. Duffy as follows; ‘Sited on a natural ridge in pasture land with extensive views to W, N and E. The castle ruins consist of one wall aligned N-S with a circular tower at its S end & the remains of a second tower at its N end. The S tower contained a spiral staircase, now missing, while the N tower survives only at the base & is obscured by a large tree growing on its collapse, it may have been solid originally but this is not clear. It seems fairly certain that the N-S wall was rebuilt in part at some time in the past. On its E face, the N half seems to be built of masonry of a different character than in the S half. A rounded buttress has been built in the past against the W side of the S tower & partly obscures the remains of the S wall of the castle. The exact ground plan of the castle is not now recoverable. A scarp extending W from the buttress does not follow the line of the S wall as indicated by the remains of the wall to be seen in the tower, it could be due to quarrying activity in the past. The W face of the N-S wall seems to have been rebuilt in the past also & thickened by the addition of an extra skin in its S half. The wall now curves slightly along its length. One side of the inner face of an internally splaying window remains in the wall. Third floor level & possibly a second window below it. The masonry is built of uncut limestone laid in regular courses & bonded with rough mortar. There is a slight batter at the bottom of the S tower. There are three window opes (rectangular) in the tower. Maximum height of S tower c. 16m. A modern farm roadway runs roughly E-W, just N of the castle with a field hedge running just N of the N tower. The bottom most stones of the S tower have been robbed for most if its circumference. There is a large complex of earthworks E & S & W of the castle. Principally composed of a double fosse with an intervening bank from the filed boundary ENE of the castle & enclosing a sub-rectangular-shaped area around to the S & joining a second modern field boundary at the SW. The area enclosed is subdivided by low banks, scarps & shallow fosses, forming rectangular enclosures & small rectangular enclosure lie outside the large enclosure on the SSW. The enclosing bank & fosse appears to have been incorporated in the modern field bank & hedge & drain from SW-W & to have been destroyed by the field boundary and roadway from WNW-N-NNE’ (ASI Report 31/03/1981). See attached ASI earthwork plan, surveyed and drawn 1973 Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 22 August 2023