Moated site, Thomastown Demesne South, Co. Tipperary South
In a pasture on a gentle south-southeast facing slope near Thomastown in South Tipperary sits an intriguing medieval earthwork that forms part of a larger moated site complex.
Moated site, Thomastown Demesne South, Co. Tipperary South
This rectangular enclosure measures 26 metres north to south and 23.5 metres east to west, defined by an inner earthen scarp that’s most prominent on its western side where it rises 0.65 metres high across a four-metre width. The scarp continues around the northern, eastern and southern sides, though it becomes less distinct where it has been levelled into the surrounding fosse, the water-filled ditch that once provided defence for whatever structure stood within.
The fosse itself varies in preservation around the monument, reaching seven metres wide and 1.2 metres deep on the western, northern and eastern sides, though it has been filled in at the eastern end of the north side and the northern end of the east side where the inner scarp has been pushed into it. Beyond this lies an external bank, standing 0.65 metres high on the inside and 0.7 metres on the outside, which is visible on the north and east sides, with a scarp marking the southern boundary. The southern side presents a particularly interesting feature: two large depressions in the fosse area separated by a central causeway about 2.2 metres wide. The western depression, measuring roughly 8 by 14 metres and still waterlogged at its centre, is bounded by the steep inner scarp to the north, whilst the eastern depression, approximately 6 by 18 metres and curvilinear in plan, retains a small amount of water.
This site directly adjoins another moated enclosure to the west, sharing an external bank with it, and sits within a broader archaeological landscape that includes another moated site to the southwest and remnants of a medieval field system to the south and southeast. The interior of the monument slopes gently downward to the east and south, crossed diagonally by a slight linear depression running northeast to southwest that likely represents a levelled field boundary. A small, perfectly formed mound in the southwest corner, measuring about 4 metres by 0.6 metres and standing 0.2 metres high, adds another layer of mystery to the site. Evidence of a leat system, channels that would have controlled water flow, can be traced around the exterior on the eastern and southern sides, though any northern channels have been obscured by a later trackway.





