Bawn, Simonstown, Co. Westmeath

Bawn, Simonstown, Co. Westmeath

Located in the pastures of Simonstown in County Westmeath, this historic bawn represents centuries of Irish defensive architecture and agricultural life.

Bawn, Simonstown, Co. Westmeath

The rectangular earthwork enclosure, measuring approximately 100 metres north to south and 58 metres east to west, first appears on Boyd’s Estate Map of 1818, though it was depicted at half its current size. By the time of the 1837 Ordnance Survey six-inch map, the structure had taken on its present dimensions, which remained unchanged through to the 1913 revision of the OS 25-inch map.

The bawn’s construction tells a story of practical fortification; substantial banks of earth and stone define the northeastern, southeastern and southwestern boundaries, whilst the northwestern side features an intriguing double bank with a shallow dip between. The earthwork is particularly well preserved along the northeastern side, where it maintains a sharp profile and displays an outward splay at the corner, which appears slightly raised. A narrow earthen platform runs like a terrace halfway up the outer face of this northeastern bank, perhaps once serving as a walkway for defenders. The tower house, catalogued as WM026-089, adjoins the inner eastern wall at its midpoint, forming the defensive heart of the complex.

Archaeological surveys conducted in 1976 and 1978 found no clear evidence of an external fosse, or defensive ditch, which might typically accompany such structures. The interior slopes gently eastward with an uneven surface scattered with stones, whilst a gap in the northern section of the northeastern bank serves as an entrance. Just outside this entrance stand the ruins of a 19th century house with distinctive yellow brick dressings; local tradition holds that this was a herdsman’s house from when the site formed part of a larger estate, linking the medieval defensive structure to its later agricultural use.

0.0/5

Good to Know

Tags

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete
Pete
I like knowing about my local area, and helping others to learn about theirs too. If you'd like to contribute to this website, please get in touch.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Bawn, Simonstown, Co. Westmeath. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 50 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.
Simonstown, Co. Westmeath
53.45806526, -7.32159962
53.45806526,-7.32159962
Simonstown 
Castle Features 

Related Places