Taghmon Castle — Taghmon

Situated on flat pasture with higher ground to N, medieval church (WM012-076----) and graveyard (WM012-076001-) located 220m SSE. The 1659 Down Survey recorded that Taghmon Castle belonged to Sir Thomas Nugent, described as an Irish Papist in 1641 (NLI, MS 723-4). The three storey high tower was entered through a doorway in the west wall now blocked up which gave access to a stone vaulted ground floor, a mural stairs in the south wall gave access to upper floors of the castle. This building appears to have been a small tower house that was possibly reused as the NE angle tower of a levelled bawn wall associated with a 17th century building depicted as Taghmon Castle the remains of which are to the S of the tower as shown on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map. On this map the tower is depicted a small freestanding rectangular tower, while Taghmon Castle is shown as a long L-shaped building with possible angle tower at SE angle of castle. Only the S wall and W gable of Taghmon castle survives intact to ground floor level. The S wall of Taghmon Castle appears to have acted as the S wall of the bawn wall. There are no visible remains of the W, N and E walls of this bawn. A single light window is the only feature visible in the S wall of the bawn wall of Taghmon Castle. A broken out fireplace can be seen in the ground floor of the west gable. The remains of broken out wall ovens can be seen in the destroyed embrasures either side of the destroyed fireplace opening. The upper levels of the angle tower on NE angle of bawn wall may have been converted into a dovecote in the post-medieval period. During this period a large walled garden was constructed to the S of Taghmon Castle. The tower was described in 1980 as ‘a small rectangular tower measuring 4m E-W by 6m N-S with a heavy mantle of ivy stands three storeys high. There is an entrance, now only a wide broken gap in the west wall. The lower floor has a vaulted roof and a mural stair leads through the south wall. A small spiral stairs leads from the first floor level to the roof. The stairs is now ruined. The walls of the two upper floors are level with pigeon holes. This appears to be a pigeon house. A small rect [angular] enclosure to the S of this tower has had its interior levelled recently. South of this rectangular enclosure is a large walled bawn or a walled garden. There are three pointed doorways in the walls. These doorways are of roughly dressed limestone. One doorway in the north wall has some brickwork in the wall above the inner face of the arch indicating an 18th or 19th c. date. The style of stonework could support this date. There are remains of buildings along the north wall of this large enclosure. One building has the remains of a large fireplace. There appear to have been buildings stretching north from here to the pigeon house. This area is now marked by a stony rise. The Pigeon House may be of late medieval date. The other walls and remains are very difficult to date. There is a small 19th c. house to the west of the pigeon house’ (SMR File 24/10/1980). A cattle crush has been built up against N face of post medieval garden wall, and concrete walled livestock pens have been built to the N of Taghmon Castle. Immediately to the W of Taghmon Castle are the ruins of post-medieval structures built up against the N face of the bawn wall (CUCAP BDV077/078). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 1 February 2016