According to local historian Carrigan, writing in 1905, the Rothes held this land for generations until David Rothe, listed as an Irish Papist, saw it confiscated in 1653 during the Cromwellian conquest. The property, along with nearby Drakeland, was subsequently granted to Captain Thomas Evans, one of Cromwell’s soldiers. The original Rothe castle stood exactly where Kilcreen House now stands, and for many years, a carved stone escutcheon bearing the family arms lay in the house’s lawn; a tangible reminder of the site’s earlier inhabitants. This escutcheon, dated 1629 and displaying the arms of Richard Rothe, a former mayor of Kilkenny, was eventually donated to the Kilkenny Archaeological Society in 1863.

The Down Survey maps of 1655;6 provide fascinating, if somewhat contradictory, evidence of what once stood here. The barony map of ‘The Liberties of the Citty of Kilkenny’ shows a simple house at this location, whilst the parish map of ‘St Patricks Parish’ clearly depicts a castle symbol. The accompanying terrier offers more detail, noting ‘in Kilcrine also a Castle & Bawn an orchard and many Cabbins’, painting a picture of a fortified residence complete with a defensive bawn wall, productive orchards, and numerous small dwellings that likely housed workers and tenants.

Today, no trace of the castle or its bawn remains visible above ground, suggesting they were completely demolished when Kilcreen House was constructed in the late 17th century. This thorough erasure of the medieval structure was common practice during this period, as new landowners sought to build modern residences that reflected contemporary architectural tastes rather than the defensive requirements of earlier centuries. The transformation from fortified castle to country house represents a broader shift in Irish society, from the turbulent medieval period through the upheavals of the Cromwellian conquest to the relative stability of the later 17th century.