Rathumney Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rathumney Castle |
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| Native name Irish: Caisleán Ráth Omna[í] |
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Interior view
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| Type | hall house |
| Location | Rathumney, Campile, County Wexford, Ireland |
| Area | Barrow Valley |
| Height | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Built | early 13th century |
| Owner | State |
| Official name: Rathumney Castle | |
| Reference no. | 229 |
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Rathumney Castle is an old building in County Wexford, Ireland. It's known as a hall house, which means it was a large, important home rather than a strong military castle. Today, it's a special place protected as a National Monument because of its rich history.
Contents
Where is Rathumney Castle?
Rathumney Castle is located in the southern part of County Wexford, Ireland. You can find it about 4.6 kilometers (which is about 2.8 miles) east of a town called Campile.
A Look Back in Time: History of Rathumney Castle
Who Built It?
Rathumney Castle was built a very long time ago, in the early 1200s. It's believed that the Prendergast family, who were descendants of a person named Maurice de Prendergast, built this important house.
A Home for Monks
This building wasn't just a family home. It also served as a "grange house" for Tintern Abbey, which was a monastery nearby. A grange house was like a farm or an outpost where monks, specifically the Cistercian order, managed their land and resources.
In the 1300s and 1400s, the Barry family leased (rented) the grange. This was common because the Cistercian monks had fewer "lay brothers" (people who did manual labor for the monastery) at the time. Plus, these granges were special because they didn't have to pay "tithes," which were like taxes paid to the church.
Later Owners and a Royal Visitor
After a big event in history called the Cromwellian confiscation, Rathumney Castle became empty for a while. Later, different families owned the land, including the Alcock, Colclough, and Prendergast families. Today, the Foley family owns the land where the castle stands.
There's a story that King James II stayed at Rathumney on July 2, 1690. He was on his way to Duncannon to leave Ireland for France, and he never came back.
What Rathumney Castle Looks Like
Inside the Hall House
The main part of Rathumney Castle was a large, two-story hall. This hall had fireplaces to keep warm, tall windows for light, and doorways connecting different rooms. The ground floor was where the kitchens, servants' rooms, and storage areas were located. The noble family lived on the upper floor.
The house was built using strong materials like granite, shale, and a type of rock called conglomerate. Sadly, most of the inside walls and fancy stone carvings have been removed over time. The total floor area of the house is about 146.1 square meters (which is about 1,573 square feet).
Outside the Walls
The house was surrounded by a "bawn," which was a defensive wall or courtyard. In the southeast corner of this bawn, there was a tower. This tower had stairs and a "garderobe," which was an old-fashioned toilet!
