Sir William Stewart constructed this stronghold and its accompanying bawn by 1619, establishing not just a defensive structure but an entire settlement complete with village and church. The castle was an impressive edifice, rising three and a half storeys high and crowned with three round flankers, whilst a distinctive round turret staircase soared to 42 feet, topped with battlements and a platform.

The 1622 survey provides a detailed picture of the complex: adjoining the main castle stood a slate-roofed house of one and a half storeys and a guard house for soldiers, all enclosed within a substantial bawn. This defensive wall, built of lime and stone, formed an 80-foot square perimeter fortified with three square flankers. Such elaborate fortifications were typical of Ulster Plantation architecture, designed to protect English and Scottish settlers during a period of significant tension and change in Irish history.

The castle’s military significance became tragically apparent during the turbulent years following the 1641 rebellion, when it was burned and largely destroyed. By the early 19th century, only two walls remained standing, which were documented in sketches and plans preserved in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs. Today, fragments of Sir William Stewart’s castle are said to survive, hidden beneath plaster in modern buildings throughout Ramelton; a secret architectural history lurking within the fabric of the contemporary town.