Boleyvillish Castle in ruins — Togherstown

Ballintogher Castle stands on flat poorly drained land with good views in all directions. Croughal church (WM025-005001-) and graveyard (WM025-005006-) lies 500m to SE. Annotated as ‘Boleyvillish Castle in ruins’, on the 1838 ed. O 6-inch map where the castle is shown standing beside several buildings accessed by a road to NE. On this map this small cluster of dwellings are annotated with the placename ‘Boleyvillish’. On the 1838 map the castle is depicted as a long rectangular structure aligned NW-SE with a second L-shaped building to NE and a third building located a few metres to NW. All of these structures were accessed by a roadway running NE towards the public road. Only the SE and SW walls of this rectangular tower house (ext. dims. 9.1m S-E; approx. 8.5m S-W; wall T 1.4-1.6m) survives upstanding to first floor level with short return of the NE wall (L 1.3m) on the E corner. Only the SE wall survives completely intact with no evidence of dressed quoins on the S and E angles of the castle. The line of the NW wall is not visible and it is difficult to be certain where the line of this wall returned as the SW (L 7.9m) and NE walls are incomplete. Only the lower courses of the NE wall survives. The castle stands in the W quadrant of a large rectangular shaped moated earthwork which probably represents the remains of a levelled bawn (WM024-031001-). Although it is possible that this earthwork could be a later feature which is contemporaneous with the post-1700 buildings located to the SW and NE of the castle as depicted on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map. The walls of the castle are constructed with rubble stonework with prominent base-batter (H 1.4m) visible which has been robbed out in places. A wooden beam hole visible at ground floor level in the N face of the NE wall return at the E angle possibly represents the remains of a drawbar slot (L 1m; H 0.28 x Wth 0.28m) belonging to the doorway of the castle. The castle was entered through a ground floor doorway now destroyed located at E end of NE wall. The ground floor was lit by a broken out window visible in centre of SE wall and directly opposite doorway in SW wall. A large hole in the centre of the SW wall adjacent to the window displays some evidence of burning but has no chimney flue. The remains of a splay belonging to a possible destroyed window embrasure is visible at W end of SW wall. The wooden ceiling above the ground floor was carried on an offset (H 2.5m). The first floor was lit by a broken out window located in centre of SE wall and in SW wall. Small square shaped aumbry or wall cupboard located immediately S of flat-headed window embrasure in SW wall. Wall plate holes to support first floor visible in S angle. Two stone corbels supporting the wall plate of the first floor ceiling are visible in SE wall above the windows opening. A sloping recessed channel visible in E angle at top of wall may be remains of a chimney flue belonging to an angle fireplace in destroyed E corner of first floor but this is not certain. The wall footings of a post-1700 building (Wall T 0.65m) can be seen immediately to the NW of the castle as depicted on the 25-inch OS map. In 1635 this castle was known as Ballintogher Castle which formed part of the estate belonging to ‘Maurice Fitzgerrald’ who died 30 March 1635 and was succeeded by his son and heir Thomas who was 50 years of age and married at the time of his father’s death (Cal. inq. post mortem, 111 Car. 1). In 1639 there is a reference to the placename ‘Boolyvilis’ which formed part of the estate of Ballintogher (Cal. inq. post mortem, 148 Car. 1). Ballintogher Castle is not depicted in this townland on the 1654 Down Survey maps of Rathconrath barony or Conry parish (NLI Ms 723-4). In 1641 the townland of ‘Tocherstowne’ (Ballintogher) belonged to Thomas Fitzgerrald an Irish papist and owner of 396 acres of land in this townland (ibid.). Described in 1978 as ‘a large sub-rectangular earthwork (WM024-031001-) outlined by a stream on the NE side & by remains of a wide low bank & a wide fosse on the NE & SE sides. There is a narrow causeway entrance on the SE side. There is a second entrance, probably later, near the western end of the NW side. Inside the fosse on the SW side is the ruin of a rectangular tower house. There are no dressed stones visible in the ruin, however some dressed stones, probably from a doorway can be seen in the rubble at the NW side of the tower house. There is a later house & outbuilding to the NW of the tower house. A number of low banks & shallow fosses divide the interior of the earthwork. This monument is in flat pasture land, very poorly drained & rushy to the north & east, with very gently rising ground, fairly well drained to the south & west‘ (SMR File 16/09/1978). A second report from the same year describes the monument as ‘the ruin of a rectangular tower house approx. 9m square. The NE, SE & SW walls partially survive to a height of approx. 7m. The NW wall has been destroyed. The doorway appears to have been at the eastern end of the NE wall. There is no trace of vaulting or of a stairway. There is a large flat-topped window in the SW wall at first floor level & a smaller window in the NE wall at this level. The centre of the SE wall is broken down. The lower courses are battered. There are no cut or dressed stones visible, the quoin are roughly cut rubble stones. 2 corbels in the SE wall about 6m from the ground may have supported the second floor. The castle is set in the remains of a rectangular ditched enclosure (WM024-031001-). There is a 19thc. house (ruined) to the NW of the castle. The ruin seems to date to the 16th or 17th c.‘ (SMR File 02/05/1978). Described by Salter (2004,146) as consisting of ‘three walls up to 1.4m thick stand two and a half storeys high of a late 16th century tower 9.1m wide by probably 11.7m long. The basement has a wide doorway with a drawbar slot and four narrow loops, two of them set either side of a fireplace’. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O’Brien Date of revised upload: 11 December 2017