Site of Old Castle — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Thomas Cusack held a castle and 242 acres at Staffordstown in 1640, yet the site vanished before the Down Survey mapped the barony in 1656. The old castle left no visible ruin, suggesting demolition or decay erased it within a single generation. What remains is an absence marked only by a boundary line and a name preserved in later surveys.

A castle at Staffordstown (38) in Follistown parish and Skreen barony is not depicted on the Down Survey (1656-8) barony map (http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) Thomas Cusack owned 242 acres there in 1640 including a castle (Simington 1940, 66). It is described as the site of an old castle on the 1836 ed. of the OS 6-inch map with no precise location. There is no evidence of a structure at ground level in pasture. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 9 June 2016

Thomas Cusack held land in the area including the site of the castle at Staffordstown in the mid-17th century. The castle's absence from the Down Survey suggests it may have been destroyed or fallen into disuse by the 1650s.

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