| Granard Motte | |
|---|---|
Móta Ghránaird | |
| Church Street, Granard, County Longford in Ireland | |
 | |
  Granard Motte | |
| Coordinates | 53°46′32″N7°30′02″W / 53.775535°N 7.500468°W Coordinates: 53°46′32″N7°30′02″W / 53.775535°N 7.500468°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1199 |
| Materials | earth |
| Official name | Granard |
| Reference no. | 263 [1] |
Granard Motte is the remains of a motte-and-bailey castle and National Monument in Granard, County Longford, Ireland. [2] [3] [4]
Granard Motte (RMP LF010-080001) is located in the town of Granard, 5.7 km (3.5 mi) west of Lough Kinale, overlooking the Inny valley. At an altitude of 163 m (535 ft) it is the highest motte in Ireland
The earthworks lie about 220 metres (720 ft) to the southwest of Granard town on an elevated site with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
Granard motte earthworks were built c. 1199 by a Norman knight, Richard de Tuit. It was erected upon and within a pre-existing hillfort (LF010-080002-), and has associations with a local branch of the Ó Fearghail clan (Farrell). [5] : 10
It appears that it was intended as a frontier castle on the NW border of the Anglo-Norman lordship of Meath and designed to suppress the O'Reilly's of S Breffny. [6] In 1210 King John stayed here during his campaign against Hugh de Lacy. [6] : 262 [5] : 15 The site later became known as Rath Granard. According to Bradley, it is the most likely location of the inauguration site of the O'Farrells (Bán). [5] : 16 [7] : 21–22 One prominent member of the family, Sean Ó Fearghail, Chief of Annaly, is believed to have died here immediately after his inauguration in 1475 and was interred at Abbeylara nearby.[ citation needed ]
The relatively level summit (27 m (89 ft) in the NNW-SSE direction; 22 m (72 ft) in the ENE-WSW direction), is about 4 m (13 ft) above the level of the bailey and also holds an OS trigonometrical station. In 1932 a statue of Saint Patrick was erected on top of the motte to mark the sesquimillennium of his mission to Ireland.[ citation needed ]
Many myths are attached to the hollow within the motte: some say there is a castle concealed within it, or gold, or perhaps a grain store.[ citation needed ] In May 2017 the motte came to nationwide attention when a large hole, about a metre in diameter, was found dug into the side of the mound. The damage required a survey by the National Monuments Service and repairs by the Office of Public Works. [8]
The Motte is a great flat-topped, circular earthen mound, on top of which would have been a timber tower surrounded by a palisade. Across the base was a U-shaped bailey: an enclosure surrounded by a palisade ditch. It is very strongly fortified except on the southern side, which seems to have been guarded solely by the deep trench on the summit. The sub circular mound is about 9 m (30 ft) in height with a deep fosse at the northeastern side and a D-shaped bailey on the southwest side.
A grotto was built into the north side of the monument in 1925 in the course of which a large quantity of stone was removed (using explosives). From WSW-N-ENE the base of the motte is encircled by a wide, deep, steep-sided, rock-cut fosse (width: 10.5 m (34 ft); depth: 3.5 m (11 ft)) with a wide, high, steep-sided external bank (width: 8 m (26 ft); height: 2.9 m (9.5 ft)). The bailey is defined by the remains of an inner bank of earth and stone, a wide, deep, intervening fosse (width: 12 m (39 ft)) and a wide, high outer bank (width: c. 10 m (33 ft); height: c. 2 m (6.6 ft)). The fragmentary remains of a later castle are visible in the SE face of the motte. A medieval church and graveyard lie c. 100 m (330 ft) to the north. [9] : 323–324 [10] : 18–23 [11] : 152 [12] : 31 [13] : 144–145
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to build with unskilled labour, but still militarily formidable, these castles were built across northern Europe from the 10th century onwards, spreading from Normandy and Anjou in France, into the Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century. The Normans introduced the design into England and Wales. Motte-and-bailey castles were adopted in Scotland, Ireland, the Low Countries and Denmark in the 12th and 13th centuries. Windsor Castle, in England, is an example of a motte-and-bailey castle. By the end of the 13th century, the design was largely superseded by alternative forms of fortification, but the earthworks remain a prominent feature in many countries.
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,634 at the 2022 census. The county is based on the historic Gaelic territory of Annaly (Anghaile), formerly known as Teffia (Teathbha).
Skipsea Castle was a Norman motte and bailey castle near the village of Skipsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Built around 1086 by Drogo de la Beuvrière, apparently on the remains of an Iron Age mound, it was designed to secure the newly conquered region, defend against any potential Danish invasion and control the trade route across the region leading to the North Sea. The motte and the bailey were separated by Skipsea Mere, an artificial lake that was linked to the sea during the medieval period via a navigable channel. The village of Skipsea grew up beside the castle church, and the fortified town of Skipsea Brough was built alongside the castle around 1160 to capitalise on the potential trade.
Aslockton Castle is a ruined fortification, a motte-and-bailey castle, in the village of Aslockton, Nottinghamshire. The original name of the settlement was Aslachetone, which suggests a possible Norse origin; it was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was described as a large settlement.
Eaton Socon Castle was a Norman fortification. It was constructed next to the River Great Ouse in what is now Eaton Socon, Cambridgeshire, England.
Events during the year 1199 in Ireland.
In archaeology, earthworks are artificial changes in land level, typically made from piles of artificially placed or sculpted rocks and soil. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features, or they can show features beneath the surface.
Thetford Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle in the market town of Thetford in the Breckland area of Norfolk, England. The first castle in Thetford, a probable 11th-century Norman ringwork called Red Castle, was replaced in the 12th century by a much larger motte and bailey castle on the other side of the town. This new castle was largely destroyed in 1173 by Henry II, although the huge motte, the second largest man-made mound in England, remained intact. The motte, recognised as a scheduled monument, now forms part of a local park, and the remains are known variously as Castle Hill, Castle Mound and Military Parade.
Flitwick Castle was an 11th-century castle located in the town of Flitwick, in the county of Bedfordshire, England.
Thurleigh Castle, also known as Bury Hills, was a medieval castle in the civil parish of Thurleigh, in the county of Bedfordshire, England.
Watch Hill Castle is an early medieval motte-and-bailey on the border of Bowdon and Dunham Massey, England. It is a scheduled monument. As the only Scheduled Ancient Monument in Trafford, it is arguably the most important archaeological site in the borough. The castle is located north of the River Bollin and south of a deep ravine.
Pilsbury Castle was a Norman castle in Derbyshire near the present-day village of Pilsbury, overlooking the River Dove.
Stockport Castle was a promontory castle in Stockport, Cheshire. The castle was in the medieval town, overlooking a ford over the River Mersey. It was first documented in 1173, but the next mention of it is in 1535 when it was in ruins. What remained of the castle was demolished in 1775.
While there are many castles in South Yorkshire, the majority are manor houses and motte-and-bailey which were commonly found in England after the Norman Conquest.
The Black Pig's Dyke or Worm's Ditch is a series of discontinuous linear earthworks in southwest Ulster and northeast Connacht, Ireland. Remnants can be found in north County Leitrim, north County Longford, County Cavan, County Monaghan and County Fermanagh. Sometimes, the Dorsey enclosure in County Armagh and the Dane's Cast in County Down are considered to be part of the dyke.
Great Ashfield Castle, also known locally as Castle Hill, is a medieval motte and bailey castle near the village of Great Ashfield, Suffolk, England.
Castle Naghten is a motte and National Monument located in County Roscommon, Ireland.
Edburton Castle Ring is an archaeological site in West Sussex, England, on the peak of Edburton Hill on the South Downs, near the villages of Edburton and Fulking. It is a Scheduled Monument.
Morganstown Castle Mound, also known as Morganstown Motte, is a medieval motte in the community of Morganstown in Cardiff, Wales, which is a scheduled monument.