Castle — motte and bailey in Baronstown Demesne

Kilbixy is situated to the south-west of Lough Iron, about eight miles north-west of Mullingar. As its name Cill Bigsighe [Cill Bhiscí], Bigseach’s church (WM011-040002-), indicates it was the site of an early church founded by St. Bigseach. Kilbixy was granted to Geoffrey de Costentin by Hugh de Lacy (Orpen 1911-20 ii, 88) and it was probably de Costentin who was responsible for the construction of the motte here in 1192 (ALC). A borough (WM011-155----) seems to have been established at an early date. Burgages beside the Carton’s ditch are mentioned in one of the "foundation charters" of Tristernagh priory, granted by Geoffrey de Costentin between 1200 and 1224 (Clarke 1941, 5). The Tristernagh charters provide much topographical information on Kilbixy including references to the church, the castle, the mill, the cross of St Columba, the bridge and the house of the old Irish chaplain (Bradley et. al. 1985, 106). The site of a medieval parish church (WM011-040002-) and graveyard (WM011-040005-) with medieval hospital known as the Leper House (WM011-040001-) are located 170m to the SE. The earthworks (WM011-037----) of a deserted medieval settement (WM011-041----/155-) indicated on the OS six inch map as 'Kilbixy Town (site of)' can be seen in the fields to the W, N, E and SE of the motte (CUCAP APH005/010). According to the Urban Survey of Ireland (Bradley et. al. 1985, 108) ‘the construction of a motte at Kilbixy is recorded in 1192 (ALC) and it is evident from the Irish pipe roll 14 John that the fortifications were being strengthened in 1211-12 (Davies and Quinn 1941, 39). The castle was the centre of the De Costentin manor of Kilbixy and presumably stayed in their hands until about the middle of the fifteenth century when the last of the De Costentins died. Subsequently little is recorded of it. In 1692 Piers (1981, 77) refers "a large piece of an old square castle called the Burgage-castle" adjoining the burgage land which is probably to be identified with the motte. Situated on a rock outcrop affording commanding views in all directions. It consists of a conical mound 11 m high, 32.5 m in diameter at the base tapering to an oval flat summit 19 x 17m across. The summit was enclosed by a stone wall whose foundations survive to a height of 30 cm on the south, east and part of the north sides. Within this wall are the foundations of two rectangular buildings. The eastern building which was built on a plinth is the smaller. It measures 2.7 by 2.5m and the walls, which are 55cm thick stand to a max. height of 55cm. The western building measures 6.6 by 2.8m. The motte is built of earth and boulders, material which appears to have been quarried from two deep hollows on the north and south-east of the site. The motte was surrounded by a ditch, 6m wide, with a counterscarp bank, 3 m high and 1.7 m wide. A bailey appears to have been located south-west of the motte where a rectangular area was enclosed by a ditch 4.5 m wide’. The site was visited and recorded in 1972 when the monument was described as 'A very high steep circular mound of stony earth surrounded by a wide deep fosse and bank, with remains of a bailey outside the bank on the W. The surrounding bank is not concentric with the motte so that there is a small, lunate inner bailey between the fosse at the foot of the motte and the bank on the W. This hints at a possibility that there may have been a large rath on the site before the motte and that the centre of the motte proper was built to the E of the centre of the rath whose bank would have been made more substantial. The fosse at the foot of the motte is wider inside the inner baily on the W than elsewhere. There are remains of a fosse outside the bank also and this is most conspicuous between the bank and the outer bailey. The foundations of at least two structures are visible on the top of the motte. Much of this is occupied by the grass-covered wall of a rectangular structure (int. dims. 9.75m NW-SE by 6.3m NE-SW). This is well defined on the SW and SE sides. On the NW side there is a long depression with upcast mounds. It is impossible to be certain without excavations if this depression occupies the side of the wall there, or whether the grass-covered bank along its NW side, and at the upper edge of the motte represents the wall. The wall is largely demolished on the NE side. Some masonry is visible in the SW side. No mortar is visible but so little of the wall is exposed that it is uncertain whether it is mortared or not. Inside the larger rectangular structure, another, square structure (int. dims. 2.7m NW-SE by 2.85m NE-SW'; wall T 0.7m) is represented by a low mortared wall of small irregular-shaped stones. No doorway is visible in either structure. The surrounding bank has several gaps due to disturbance. It incorporates some large stones but none appears to be formally set. It rises but slightly above the top of the inner bailey. Elsewhere it is high, steep and has a narrow crest. There is no visible trace of a structure on the surface of the inner, lunate bailey. The outer fosse is visible from NNW-W-WSW. The outer bailey is almost completely demolished. The E side of it (i.e. the outer side of the outer fosse) is much denuded and disturbed by the planting of trees. Part of the N side os represented by a curving steep scarp with possible remains of a bank on its upper edge. The W end is now replaced by a modern road and the S side is completely denuded away and replaced by a small modern square enclosure and shed. Sited on a gentle S outcropping slope. Extensive views from the top of the motte' (SMR file 1972). See attached plan of monument surveyed and drawn by the ASI. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 27 May 2014