Castlelost West

Area

3,169 m² (0.32 ha, 0.78 acres)

Buildings

2 buildings touch it, 174 m² on the ground

Zoning

No zone of a development plan covers it in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply.

Townland

Castlelost West

Planning applications on this parcel

• 16 May 2025Conditional

  development which will consist of revisions to a previously granted permission under Planning Ref No. 22/362 and will include the following: Revised design of dwelling and increase in floor area from 200.7sq.m to 242.9sq.m and all associated ancillary site services.

  Permission, 1 home · Westmeath County Council, 2560244

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches this parcel.

Recorded monuments around it

This parcel is in the zone of notification of 3 recorded monuments.

• WM033-042 Castle - motte and bailey
  Description

  Situated on top of a natural glacial hillock with good views in all directions. Castle ruins (WM033-043----) located 20m to the E with medieval church (WM033-031----) and graveyard (WM033-031001-) located 400m to the N. This motte and bailey castle consists of a poorly preserved high, steep-sided mound of earth and stone the S side of which has been cut into by the construction of the Rochfortbridge road running NW-SE. A photograph of the monument taken in 1910, shows the motte as a high steep-sided mound (H c. 5m; top diam. 20m x 12m) with rounded summit, giving the mound a typical pudding bowl profile (Orpen 1910, 226). This classic shape and profile of the motte is no longer apparent due to soil erosion and vegetation cover. Traces of a stone structure can be seen on the poorly preserved summit (dims. NW-SE 8m; NE-SW 3.5m) of the motte that appear to be the remains of an Ordnance Survey Trigonometrical Station as depicted on all editions of the OS 6-inch maps. The sides of the motte are defaced in several places and show signs of scarring where the soil has slipped down exposing the core of the mound. The stone castle (WM033-043----) to the E of the motte appears to be standing on the scarp of a raised area which may be the remains of a bailey or courtyard associated with the motte castle. A large hole in the NE quadrant of the bailey located to the N of the castle may be the remains of a levelled building described in 1826 as a mansion-house (Brewer 1826, 252) and is possibly a gatehouse that was built onto the N side of the stone castle and controlled the entrance into the interior of the bailey on this side of the earthwork. This possible bailey area (dims. c. 55m N-S x 41m E-W) was then reused as a courtyard for the stone castle. This Anglo-Norman earth & timber castle may have been constructed by the Anglo-Norman knight, Hugh Tyrel [Tyrrell] between 1186-1223 (Orpen 1906, 227-8). In 1223, King Henry III notified the Archbishop of Dublin, who was then Justiciar of Ireland that he had, ‘taken the homage of Hugh Tyrel for the lands which he holds in capite in that country. Mandate to the justiciary that, having accepted from Hugh security for the relief due out of those lands, he give him seisin thereof’ (Cal. doc. Ire., 168). In 1232 Hugh Tyrel was granted a ‘yearly fair at his manor of Newetown in Fertelagh [Fertullagh]’ (Cal. doc. Ire., 289). The manor of Newtown is located in the parish of Newtown which is the adjoining parish to Castlelost and was probably centred around the present village of Tyrrellspass located 5km to the SSW (Orpen 1910, 227). Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 22 July 2013

• WM033-043 Castle - unclassified
  Description

  On raised hillock with good views in all directions. Castle appears to be standing on the E edge of a bailey belonging to Castlelost motte (WM033-042----) located 20m to the W. Church (WM033-031----) and graveyard (WM033-031001-) located 400m to the N. The defensive earthworks around the castle which had an adjoining building referred to as a ‘mansion house’ were described in 1826 when Brewer stated that at Castlelost are the ‘ruins of a castle, of a mansion-house, and a church (WM033-031----). The castle still exhibits traces of strong outworks, and was protected by a moat (WM033-042----). This castle, and the adjoining mansion, long afforded a residence to the Tyrrel family. The Castle-Lost estates were forfeited by the Tyrrel family, in the troubles of the seventeenth century’ (Brewer 1826, 252). Present remains consist of a rectangular castle (ext. dims. c. 15.5m E-W; 8.8m N-S; wall T 1.6 - 2m) aligned NNE-SSW surviving two storeys high with high stone vault (long axis E-W) over the ground floor. The castle had an adjoining building described in 1826 as a 'mansion house' but now reduced to earthworks with a large depression or hollow which has the appearance of a quarry-hole on the N side of the castle. For purpose of clarity the walls of the castle will be described as N, S, E and W. The walls of the castle have no base batter and are built of random rubble with no cut stone used for the quoins or other architectural features. The castle was entered at ground floor (int. dims. c. 12.3m E-W; 5.2m N-S) through a broken out doorway (Wth 1.3m) located off centre to N in W wall close to the NW angle. The undressed voussoirs of the arch of this doorway can be seen on the N side only, elsewhere they have been robbed out. The remains of a drawbar slot (dims. 0.3m x 0.3m x 1.9m L) can be seen in the S side of the doorway embrasure (Wth 1.6m). The doorway was set into a wide segmental arched embrasure with roughly shaped voussoirs with very crude triangular-shaped keystone. The ground floor chamber was lit by a single slit ope set into a widely splayed segmental-arched embrasure (Wth 1.3m) to S of doorway in W wall and by two slit opes in the S wall. A large broken out gap (Wth 2.2m) at the E end of the S wall close to the SE angle may have been a window originally. No evidence of any window openings in the N wall of the ground floor as there was an adjoing building on this side of the castle. The W end of the ground floor is difficult to examine due to the collapsed debris of the stone vault over this section of the ground floor. A slit ope can be seen off centre to the N in the E wall close to the NE corner. This window appears to have provided light to a mural stairs which gave access to the first floor. The rising scar line of a lintelled mural stairs can be seen in the inner face of the E wall suggesting the stairs rose from the NE angle of the ground floor to the SE angle of the first floor. The remains of a short section of vaulting can be seen in the NE angle of the ground floor suggesting that there was a vaulted lobby area in this angle giving access to the mural stairs. A cross wall may have been located at the E end of this castle which no longer survives due to the collapse of the stone vault at this end of the castle. Above the doorway in the centre of the W wall there is a large gap directly beneath the vault may have been a window embrasure which may suggest that there was a loft or entresol level beneath the vault. There are possible beam holes belonging to a wooden floor of this entresol visible in the S wall, although the robbing out of the wall along this section makes it difficult to be certain. The ground floor was covered by a high roughly pointed stone vault (H 4.65m) that has collapsed at the E end. Only the lower courses of the first floor survives and no architectural features are visible in these walls. A low earth and stone bank (Wth 3m; H 0.2m) can be seen running off the SE angle of the castle may be the remains of the enclosing element of the bailey that was reused as the courtyard of the stone castle. Immediately to the N of the castle are the remains of a series of earthworks and a large depression like a quarry hole which appears to be the grass-covered wall footings of the mansion house described in 1826. This building stands on the NE edge of the scarp of the bailey with a possible entrance gap (Wth 3m) giving access to the interior of the castle courtyard which suggests that this levelled building may have acted as the gatehouse of the castle. No clear pattern or outline of this building can be determined from the surviving earthworks. The dating of this castle is difficult due to the lack of surviving architectural features however the hall type dimensions of the castle ground floor, the lack of cut stone, the high stone vault and the mural stairs all suggest that this castle may have been constructed in the 14th or 15th century. These features along with its close proximity to the Anglo-Norman motte and its association with the Anglo-Norman Tyrrell family also suggest an early medieval rather than a late medieval date for its construction. The castle does not appear to have been several storeys high which suggests that this building may be a transitional style castle bridging the gap between the first floor hall houses of the 13th century and the later multi-storey tower houses of the 15th / 16th centuries. In 1486, Maurice Tirrell [Tyrrell] of Fertullagh, lord of Castleofty [Castlelost], granted to Walter, abbot of St Mary's Abbey, Dublin the advowson of the parish church of Castlelost (WM033-031----) (Gilbert 1884, 18). The 16th century ‘Black Book’ of Archbishop George Dowdall records the castle placename as ‘Veteri Castro [old castle]’ also known as ‘Cremato Castro [burnt castle]’ (Murray 1930, 263). In 1552 this castle was the residence of Thomas Tyrell who was described as being ‘of Castellost, esq., captain of his nation in Fertullaghe, commonly called Tirrell, of Fertullagh; of the captaincy of the country of Fertullaghe; with grant of the manors and lands of Castellost, Perston, Balleforling alias Fardingeston, Ballemccaillen, Gnyvayn alias the white plowe land, Rahyncoill, Kylvrenyn, Midien, Rahynnyen, Kyltoytan, Cloyntyallon, Tyrrellismylton, Shanbaelle alias Oldton, and the Dyrr, county Westmeath. To hold for ever, by the service of one knight’s fee’ (Nicholls 1994, 205). No castle is depicted on the 1654-9 Down Survey parish map of Castlelost (NLI, MS 723-4). The terrier of the Down Survey parish map records that the lands of Castlelost & County Fallonderry amounting to 739 acres of land were in the ownership of ‘Thomas Tirrell’ an Irish papist (ibid.). After the Irish Confederate Wars of 1641-53 the forfeited lands of Thomas Tirrell [Tyrrell] of Castlelost were granted to Margaret Aggs [Aggas] and Sir Jeremy Alexander who are listed as Protestant landowners of Castlelost in 1670. Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 22 July 2013

• WM033-077 Enclosure - large enclosure
  Description

  Cropmark of possible large trivallate enclosure in grassland on slightly raised ground at the southern end of the field. A small stream lies to the south, the location of which may not be original. A motte (WM033-042----) and later castle (WM33-043----) lie c. 80m to the SE, while a medieval church and graveyard (WM033-031---) lies c. 230m to the north. The monument has been ploughed out. There is no clear trace of the enclosure at ground level. The southern portion of the enclosure appears to have been truncated by a stream course and existing housing. The possible cropmark site enclosure was noted during preparation works for a Community Monument Fund project at Castlelost Church. The cropmark site is only visible on the 2001-2005 MapGenie satellite imagery where it shows the northern portion of a trivallate enclosure. The outer ditch is c. 162m in diameter and the middle ditch is c. 121m in diameter. A tentative inner ditch is c. 77m diameter, while a short section of curvilinear feature between the middle and inner enclosure may represent a low bank or an additional ditch. A stream course cuts through the southern portion of the enclosure with housing along the northern side of the road beyond that. A section of the outer enclosure to the east appears to continue on the southern side of the stream. The cropmark is not visible on later satellite imagery of this area.  No surface remains visible.   Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by archaeologist Steven McGlade of Archaeology Plan archaeological consultancy   Date of Compilation: 10 November 2025

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Download this parcel: DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its neighbours and buildings, for a drawing program; GeoJSON, in WGS 84, for a map.

Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A parcel is the land of a title, not an address. The owner's name is in the Land Registry of Tailte Éireann: a copy of the folio can be ordered on landdirect.ie, for a fee.