This structure first appeared on Noble and Keenan’s 1752 map of the county, where it was marked as a large house, and it made another appearance on Taylor’s 1783 map. These early cartographic records suggest the building held some significance in the local landscape during the 18th century.

By 1837, when scholar O’Conor was helping to compile the Ordnance Survey Letters for County Kildare, he noted that ruins of this dwelling house could still be seen on the southwest side of Usk townland. Despite its ruined state, the local community continued to call it a castle, though historians believe it was more likely a fortified house rather than a proper castle or tower house. This distinction matters in understanding Ireland’s architectural heritage; fortified houses were typically built by wealthy landowners who wanted some defensive features without the full military specifications of a castle.

Unfortunately, by the time the Ordnance Survey created their detailed 25-inch maps later in the 19th century, even these ruins had vanished, with the location marked only as “Site of”. Today, no visible traces remain above ground of this once prominent building. The story of Usk’s lost “castle” reflects a common pattern across rural Ireland, where many historic structures recorded in early maps have completely disappeared from the landscape, leaving only documentary evidence of their existence.