Moated site, Frenchpark Demesne, Co. Roscommon
In the quiet countryside of Frenchpark Demesne, County Roscommon, lies a rectangular moated site that offers a glimpse into medieval Ireland's defensive architecture.
Moated site, Frenchpark Demesne, Co. Roscommon
This grass-covered enclosure stretches approximately 70 metres from west-northwest to east-southeast and 57 metres from north-northeast to south-southwest. The site’s most striking features are its earthen banks and water-filled moats that guard three of its four sides, creating a formidable barrier that would have deterred unwanted visitors centuries ago.
The defensive earthworks reveal careful medieval planning and construction. The earthen banks, ranging from 3 to 4.5 metres in width, rise between 0.2 and 0.65 metres on the interior side, whilst presenting a more imposing face to the outside world at heights of 1.45 to 1.8 metres. These banks are accompanied by flat-bottomed moats, each measuring 3.7 to 4 metres across at their base and reaching depths of 0.4 to 0.7 metres. The western, northern, and eastern sides all feature this combination of bank and moat, whilst the southern boundary relies on a simpler field bank. Interestingly, a short outer bank, measuring 3.2 metres wide and 0.3 metres high, extends from the southern end of the western side, suggesting possible modifications or additional fortification at this vulnerable corner.
Moated sites like this one were typically constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, often serving as fortified farmsteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Gaelic families. The gaps in the earthen banks would have originally held timber bridges or gates, controlling access to the enclosed area where domestic buildings, storage structures, and perhaps a small tower house once stood. Today, though the buildings have long since vanished, the earthworks remain remarkably well-preserved, offering visitors a chance to walk the same defensive perimeter that medieval inhabitants once patrolled.