CSG Annual Conference - Cork - April Barryscourt Castle

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1 Barryscourt tower house. View from the south-east, following conservation. Simple (rebuilt) entrance into the courtyard / bawn to the east (hidden by the glazed farmhouse). Latrine tower in the south-west corner. The main rectangular block has three storeys - ground, first and second floors. The recent dating of samples of hazel from wicker centring in the NE tower (over the first-floor room) suggests that the tower house was probably built between 1392 and 1420 (with 68% probability). (See Chapter 17 of the Barryscourt monograph, 2017 (Rory Sherlock) ). This revises previously ascribed dates that range from the 15th century to the mid-sixteenth century. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 45

2 Barryscourt Castle Location: Townland of Barryscourt, Ir. Cuirt an Bharraigh (Barry s court/manor-house), Co. Cork. Description: Barryscourt castle stands on a slight rise in a flat low-lying area of reclaimed slob. A large tower house located at the SW corner of and partially enclosed by a bawn wall which has towers at its SE, NE and NW corners. Bawn: The internal face of the east, north and west bawn walls is partially obscured by and lowered to accommodate 18th-19th century farm buildings. The south bawn wall, 24.5m long, is heavily reconstructed, with a two-storey 19th-century farmhouse, now coffee-shop, built against its external face. Original entry into the bawn is through a rebuilt segmental-arched gateway in the south wall. The SE corner tower, measuring 5.4m by 5m, projects boldly from the bawn wall and has recently been repaired. The east bawn wall, 44m long, has a recent break near the SE tower. The NE tower, measuring 5.2m by 5m, is built flush with the west bawn wall and projects to the north. It has a vaulted chamber lit by slit windows that have been partially blocked to form musket loops. The north bawn wall runs west for 34.5m, then turns north for about 4m before running west for a further 10.5m. The latter section is wider and more prominently battered. The NW tower, measuring 4.5m by 4m, is built flush with the north bawn wall and projects to the west It contains a chamber with a large garderobe. The west bawn wall, 32.5m long, has two large doublelight pointed-arch windows with widely-splayed embrasures and window seats. At the south end of the west wall a short 7m turn to the east terminates at the NW corner of the tower house. Wall foundations of undressed masonry underlying the west bawn wall and the NW tower, on slightly different alignments, indicate the presence of an earlier structure. A similar wall was recently uncovered near the NE corner of the bawn. The projecting section of the north bawn wall, the NW tower and the west bawn wall were all part of an early hall-type structure, possibly of 13th or 14th century date, but largely 15th century. Otherwise, the bawn wall and its corner towers are of 15th century date and the NW and SE towers were refurbished in the 16th century. Tower House: Barryscourt tower house consists of a rectangular main block measuring 14m by 11m with subsidiary projecting towers at the NE and SW corners, measuring 7.5m by 5m and 4m by 4.2m respectively. A third tower, measuring 2m by 3.5m, projects east from the south end of E wall. The main tower is entered through an original entrance at the north end of the east wall, (although the present pointed arch doorcase appears to be an insertion) [but see R. Sherlock, in D. Pollock, 2017, p. 290]. A small lobby gives access straight through to the main ground-floor chamber and south to a steep mural straight stairway rising to the SE corner. Half-way up, the stairway give access to the main first-floor chamber and, at the top, to the main second-floor chamber. At first-floor level, on the east wall of the stairway, there traces of masonry suggest the former presence of another external entrance door. The main ground-floor chamber is lit by double-splayed window openings. At the east end of the north wall, there is a mined entry into a low chamber in the NE tower. The main first-floor chamber is covered by a barrel-vault which replaced an earlier pointed vault, of which part survives at the south end. Two slit lights in the west wall flank a hooded fireplace. A door at east end of the north wall leads to a chamber in the NE tower at mezzanine (over first floor) level, a garderobe chamber in thickness of the west wall of the NE tower, and a chamber over the entrance lobby. There is also a first-floor chamber in the NE tower. A door at S end of the west wall of the main first-floor chamber leads through a short passage to a narrow garderobe chamber in the SW tower, whilst a door at east end of the south wall leads into a chamber in the SE tower. The main second-floor chamber, or hall, measuring 12m by 6m E-W is entered through a pointed-arch door at south end of the east wall. The room is lit by two- and three-light mullion and transom windows inserted into THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 46

3 Plan of tower house and bawn Possible reconstruction of the hall (B, C, D) on the western edge of the bawn. Illustration and labels in the fig. are by Dave Pollack. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 47

4 Barryscourt Castle. James N. Healy, View from the south-west. wide splayed embrasures, originally with window seats, two each in the west and east walls and one to the south. The insertion of a fireplace with carved surround and a date of 1588 into the west wall partially blocked one window embrasure. In the east wall, a narrow mural stair descends to an infilled mural chamber in the haunches of the main vault. A door at east end of the north wall accesses a mural passage leading to chapel in the NE tower and, via a spiral stair, to a private chamber above. The chapel, unusual in a tower house, has a wide pointed-arched east window embrasure, the base of which served as the altar. The base of a smaller round-arched south window embrasure has a piscina (restored) in it. Both have single light windows with pointed cinquefoil heads. There are also traces of wall paintings preserved in the chapel. An ogee-headed door at the west end of the south wall of the main second-floor chamber accesses, via a slanted passage, a large garderobe chamber in the SW tower and the base of a spiral stair which leads up to two higher chambers in the SW tower. A narrow door with a rounded arch at the south end of the west wall leads down sharply into a spiral stair which accesses a small vaulted chamber beneath the garderobe chamber in the SW tower. Near the east end of the south wall, a descending spiral stair entered through an ogee-headed doorway gives access first through very low door (0.95m) to a chamber in the SE tower slightly below the level of the hall, lit by a single slit window in the north wall. The stair descends further to a vaulted L-shaped chamber in the SE tower and thence to a vaulted L-shaped chamber beneath. At the east end of the south wall of the hall, a round-arched door leads into spiral stair which ascends to give entry to the two uppermost chambers and the wall walk. Nearly all chambers in the corner towers are covered by wicker-centred vaults. Summary History: Barryscourt Castle was the chief seat of the Barrys in the cantred of Olethan (Ui Liathain)/Barrymore from the 1170s. The tower house was probably originally built early in the 15th century (recent dating suggests between 1392 and 1420), with a firstfloor entry but was substantially rebuilt and repaired in the 16th century when the SW corner tower was added and the present entrance inserted. The castle was defaced and despoiled during the Desmond rebellion in 1581 and briefly occupied by Sir Walter Raleigh afterwards. David Barry regained possession in about 1583 and undertook substantial improvements. After his death in 1617, Castlelyons Castle became their chief seat in Barrymore. The Barryscourt Trust was set up in 1987 to purchase, conserve and develop the castle as a heritage site. The castle later passed into State ownership. Both tower house and bawn have seen extensive archaeological excavation, the latter by Dave Pollock, followed by conservation and restoration work by the OPW, including the re-roofing of the second-floor hall. The tower house is currently undergoing further major works by the OPW. Reference: D. Pollock, 2017, Barryscourt Castle, Co. Cork: Archaeology, History and Architecture, Archaeological Monograph Series: 11, Dublin: Stationery Office. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 48

5 Barryscourt Castle. One of a number of explanatory sketches by Dave Pollock in the Barryscourt monograph. The oblique cutaway shows the relationship of the two main floors and the domestic suites and bed chambers in the north block. The architecture of Barryscourt is complex and exceptional in terms of size, access arrangements and provision of facilities - (latrines, chapel, ground-floor oubliette ), etc. In dating terms, it will, according to Sherlock facilitate a revision of the general chronology of Irish tower houses. The Act of Parliament of 1430, which legislated for a 10 subsidy for supporters of the Crown who were willing to build a small tower in The Pale, was for many years seen as the starting point of tower house construction in Ireland. Sherlock further suggests that we must reassess our understanding of beginnings of the the Irish tower house as Barryscourt, Claregalway and others appear to pre-date the 1430 emphasis on building tower houses. He further suggests that we should now call into question the very notion of the tower house definition, and simply begin to call it a tower, part of a courtyard complex that should rightly be called a castle (Barryscourt Castle, 2017, 292). THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 49

6 Barryscourt tower house floor plans THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 50

7 The tower house from the east. The main entrance, unusually, on the ground floor, with a straight mural staircase to its left, gives access to the principal first and second floors, observable by the regular progression of lights from north to south. The two-centred doorway is the only and original entrance to the main tower. There is a further blocked entrance at first-floor level, but that only gave access to an isolated guardroom in the NE turret (with prison below). There are 23 other buildings in Co. Cork, with multiple entrances, including Belvelly, Cahermone and Ballycarbery. In a recent study of 120 well-preserved tower houses (Sherlock, 2008), Barryscourt was found to have the largest footprint of all the buildings studied, though Blarney and Bunratty, Co. Clare, were not included in the study. Measuring square metres the footprint of Barryscourt was more than 2.4 times greater than the average footprint size of the tower houses studied, which was sq. m. Barryscourt is therefore quite unusual amongst later medieval tower houses in Ireland, an observation supported by the internal complexity of the structure, which is also unusual. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 51

8 Barryscourt tower house. The ground-floor entrance leading to a lobby and stairs. The holes in the jambs and arch centre suggest facilities allowing the internal securing of an external yett by chains. Sherlock, 2017, 290, suggests that the entrance was the original doorway leading to the upper floors, (although the jambs and arch mouldings may have been upgraded later in its life). THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 52

9 Barryscourt. The suggested communal hall on the first floor with the rebuilt barrel vault. These images show the way the Great Hall was dressed and presented before the complex was closed for refurbishment. Above, looking south. Below: Looking south-west. The furthest south-west window reveal has a door that leads to the latrine block. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 53

10 Various original or refurbished mouldings on window and door chamfered jambs in the chapel on the second floor. The cinquefoil-headed south window and restored piscina in the chapel. Barryscourt is one of only a few tower houses to have a private chapel. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 54

11 Second floor - main room, seen as a family (upper) hall. A newly inserted mantelpiece in 1588 With a similar inscription to that below. David Barry was involved in a major rebuilding program after a series of deprivations and political setbacks. The inscription on the west window in the second-floor main room: AD 1586 D[AVID] B[ARRY] ET E[LEANOR] R[OCHE] ME FIERI FECER[VT] (David Barry and Ellen Roche caused me [the window] to be made). THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 55

12 The CSG at Barryscourt where Evelyn Long (below, addressing the group) and the team at the OPW had made special efforts to open the building for our inspection, before it opens to the public (due in the late summer of 2018). We are all very grateful. Dave Pollock edited and contributed to the superb monograph that was published in 2017 and is available from the Stationery Office, Dublin. Contributors include Paul McCotter, Conleth Manning, Rory Sherlock, Karena Morton (conservation of of the chapel wall-paintings), Karl Brady and Christiaan Corlett (inscribed ships in the chapel), and many more. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP 56