(site of) Polehore Castle — Polehore

Furlong of Pole is recorded in 1310-11 (Hore 1900-11, vol. 5, 99) but this land was exchanged for land at Horetown (WX041-048----) with the Hore family, and the Pole river became Polehore (Brooks 1950, 17-18). David Hore of Pole is recorded in 1347-8 (Hore 1900-11, vol. 3, 97, fn 5) and Thomas Hore de Pole is recorded in the mid-16th century (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 146-7, 223, 383). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) Christopher Hore owned a castle and weir at Polehore in 1640 together with a total of 420 acres in Ardcanrush (Ardcandrisk) parish (Simington 1953, 101). He had 14 dependents in 1653 when he was listed for transplantation to Connaught where he had been allotted 140 acres (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 502-05). The property was restored to Christopher Hore at the Restoration in 1660 and it continued in the Hore family down to 1883 when P. H. Hore, the historian sold it. The castle was reputedly burnt by insurgents in 1798 (Jeffrey 1979, 123-4). The castle is depicted as a rectangular structure (dims. c. 6m x c. 6m) and described as the ‘site of Polehore Castle’ on the 1839 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. It is situated on level, low-lying land c. 100m W of the N-S River Slaney and c. 500m N of the point where the Slaney turns E to enter Wexford Harbour. There is no evidence of a structure in a small wood. The N-S Dublin to Wexford railway is immediately to the E and a grass-covered plateau (dims c. 50m NW-SE; c. 30m NE-SW) E of the railway and on the river bank may be the site. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 14 December, 2012