Parke's Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parke's CastleCaisleán Parke (Irish) |
|
|---|---|
The outer bawn wall of Parke's Castle, originally built by Brian O'Rourke in the 15th century
|
|
| General information | |
| Location | Kilmore Fivemilebourne County Leitrim F91 FP71 |
| Country | Ireland |
| Construction started | late 15th century |
| Completed | 1635 |
| Demolished | 1630 (Original tower house) |
| Client | Brian O'Rourke Robert Parke |
| Official name | Park's Castle |
| Reference no. | 390 |
Parke's Castle is an old manor house from the 1600s. It is also known as Newtown Castle or O'Rourke's Castle. You can find it on the north-eastern shore of Lough Gill in County Leitrim, in the northwest of Ireland.
The castle was built where an even older castle once stood. This first castle was a tower house built by the O'Rourke family in the 1500s. Later, a man named Captain Robert Parke took over the land. By 1635, he had finished building his own fortified manor house on the old castle's site.
After the Parke family, the castle passed to the Gore family in the late 1670s. It became a ruin by 1791 and stayed empty for nearly 300 years. However, people still used parts of the site. For example, the outer wall area (called a bawn) was a farmyard until the mid-1900s. The Office of Public Works took ownership of the building in 1935.
Archaeologists explored the site between 1971 and 1975. They found the foundations of the original O'Rourke tower house. The manor house and gatehouse were carefully restored from 1980 to 1988. Since 1990, Parke's Castle has been open for visitors during certain times of the year.
Contents
Castle History
The O'Rourke Castle
The first mention of the O'Rourke tower house at Baile Nua (which means New Town) was in 1546. It was a time when "great treachery" happened to the O'Rourke leader at his castle.
The oldest part of the site is likely a round ditch cut into the rock. This ditch might be even older than the tower house itself. The stones dug from this ditch were used to build a five-sided wall around the castle, called a bawn.
The O'Rourke tower house was probably built between 1450 and 1500. It was one of several homes for Sir Brian O'Rourke, a powerful ruler of the area called West Breifne.
In 1581, during a rebellion against the English Crown, O'Rourke damaged his own castle at Newtown. He did this to stop the English from using it. He also destroyed his castles in Dromahair and Leitrim.
Sir Brian O'Rourke was knighted in 1585. But he kept challenging the Crown. He even helped about eighty Spanish sailors who were shipwrecked nearby in 1588.
Because of this, O'Rourke was accused of treason. He fled his land and went to Scotland, hoping to gather an army. However, he was arrested by order of King James VI. O'Rourke was sent to London and later executed there in 1591.
His son, Brian Og O'Rourke, took over and continued fighting the English. During the Nine Years' War, many Irish lords found safety with him. In 1602, O'Sullivan Beare ended his famous march at O'Rourke's castle. He arrived with only 30 followers, after nearly 1,000 people had died on the journey.
Robert Parke's Castle
In the 1620s, the English Crown began to settle (or 'plant') people in Leitrim. Much of the land was given to soldiers and friends of King James I. Robert Parke, from Kent, acquired the site of O'Rourke's castle at Newtown by 1628.
Robert Parke tore down the remains of O'Rourke's old tower house. He reused the stones to build his own gate tower around 1630. Then he built the manor house, which was finished by 1635.
Parke filled in the old ditch around the site. He added two defensive towers to the north corners of the bawn wall. He also added two small guard towers and a water gate on the south wall. The bawn walls were made taller, and openings for guns were added. Parke also paved the inside of the bawn with stones, covering any signs of the older Gaelic castle.
Robert Parke seemed to do well at Newtown. He bought more land and even lent money to other settlers. He hired many Irish workers and had a harper named Dermond O'Farry living with him.
The 1641 Rebellion
Robert Parke was an important person in the north Connaught region. He became a Member of Parliament in 1641. However, he faced difficulties during the Rebellion that started in Ulster in late 1641. Parke tried to stay neutral, hoping the uprising would end quickly.
Sir Fredrick Hamilton, a Scottish soldier, was upset by Parke's actions. Hamilton had built his own castle at Manorhamilton in 1635. He wanted to crush the O'Rourke family and had been attacked many times at his own castle.
Hamilton noticed that Parke's castle seemed safe from attacks. He heard that rebels' cows grazed near Parke's castle walls without trouble. He also heard that Irish people passed freely by Parke's castle with supplies. So, in the spring of 1642, Hamilton decided to burn Newtown village. He believed it had helped the rebels.
Hamilton returned to Parke's castle at midnight on July 1, 1642. Parke finally let him in. Hamilton then arrested Parke in front of his own soldiers. He forced Parke and some of his soldiers to join a raid on Sligo town at dawn. Hamilton claimed they killed 300 rebels and burned the town.
Parke was taken to Manorhamilton and held prisoner by Hamilton for 18 months. Hamilton ignored orders from the government to release him. Parke was finally freed when a truce was declared. During the rebellion, at least 150 refugees lived at Parke's Castle.
Parliamentary forces held Parke's Castle for a time. They surrendered it to The 1st Marquess of Clanrickard on July 10, 1649. It is not clear if Robert Parke was there then. In May 1652, Irish Royalist forces attacked and burned Hamilton's castle at Manorhamilton. Parke's Castle was surrendered to Confederate forces on June 3, 1652. It seems Robert Parke was back living in his castle after this time.
Later History
Robert Parke married Ann Povey and they had three children: Ann, Robert (born 1661), and Maggie (born 1663). The family called their home Newtown Castle and lived there permanently.
Robert Parke died in 1671, and his wife Ann died soon after. A sad event happened in 1677 when Maggie and Robert drowned while boating on Lough Gill. This left their sister Ann as the only heir. Ann married Sir Francis Gore and moved to County Sligo. After her parents died, the castle was left to fall apart.
The manor house was empty for 300 years. The bawn area was used as a farmyard by people in Newtown village. The Irish State took ownership of the site in 1935. It was used as a storage place by the Office of Public Works.
Restoration and Layout
In 1971, workers digging a ditch in the courtyard found something important. They discovered the base of the original O'Rourke tower house under the courtyard cobbles. This led to archaeological digs between 1971 and 1975. These digs uncovered the foundations of many buildings inside the bawn walls, a well, and the old rock-cut ditch.
The castle underwent a careful and extensive restoration from 1980 to 1988. The Office of Public Works managed this project. New window glass was put in. Local craftspeople restored the spiral wooden stairs and the oak roof. They used special carpentry methods from the 1600s.
The original bawn walls created a large, five-sided defensive area. The O'Rourke tower house used to be in the middle of this courtyard. The stones from O’Rourke's tower were used to build the three-story manor house on the east side. This manor house later had windows with stone dividers and diamond-shaped chimneys.
One of the two round towers that protected the north side of the bawn is now part of the manor house. The other end of the manor has the gate building, with an arched entrance leading into the courtyard. Inside the courtyard, there are many stone buildings and a covered well. There is also a back gate and a water gate.
Visiting Parke's Castle
Parke's Castle is about 7 kilometers (5 miles) northwest of Dromahair on the road to Sligo (R286). It is also about 11 kilometers (7 miles) from Sligo.
The restored castle is looked after by the OPW. It is open to the public during certain seasons, usually from late March to November. There is a fee to enter, and you can take guided tours to learn more about the castle's history.
About 500 meters southeast of Parke's Castle are the remains of Castle Duroy. This was another old stronghold of the O'Rourke family. It sits on a small piece of land that sticks out into Lough Gill. Not much of this castle is left above ground today.
See also
In Spanish: Parke's Castle para niños
