Newtownlow

20 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Newtownlow, from 286 m² to 402,612 m² (40.26 ha, 99.49 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 17 neighbouring parcels touch it.

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

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

No planning application touches the townland of Newtownlow in the national file, which goes back to 2010.

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

Designated sites

• Special Area of Conservation: Split Hills and Long Hill Esker SAC 001831
• Proposed Natural Heritage Area: Split Hills And Long Hill Esker 001831

Recorded monuments

• WM038-010 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Situated on a gentle E-facing slope, overlooking low-lying wet pasture to E with a wood-covered ridge to N. A crannóg (WM038-011----) lies c. 155m to E. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a large rectangular-shaped earthwork. Depicted on the revised 1910 ed. OS 25-inch map as an oval-shaped earthwork defined by a stream which marks townland boundary to N. Monument described as an oval-shaped area (dims. 55m NW-SE; 43m ENE-WSW) enclosed by a scarp, an intervening fosse and an outer bank. The scarp is visible from W-N-E-SE. A wide intervening fosse and a well preserved outer bank are present from SE-S-SW. There is an entrance at W. The interior has a S-facing slope with a possible house site (WM038-010001-) in the SW quadrant. Levelled monument is visible today as an oval-shaped cropmark on Digital Globe aerial photography. See attached profile of monument surveyed and drawn by the ASI. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 17 December 2019

• WM038-010001 House - indeterminate date
  Description

  Situated on a gentle E-facing slope, overlooking low-lying wet pasture to E with a wood-covered ridge to N. A crannóg (WM038-011----) lies c. 155m to E. In SW quadrant of ringfort (WM038-010----) are the possible remains of a roughly rectangular-shaped house site. A low bank runs to N from this house site. Levelled house site is not visible today on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 17 December 2019

• WM038-011 Crannog
  Description

  Described by O'Sullivan (2004, 115-6) as following; 'Located in a small wet hollow, apparently formerly a small lake (c.250m N/S, 500m E/W) on a tributary of the River Brosna. The site is located 15-20m from the original gently sloping shoreline to the south, and 60-70m to the base of a steep esker (which runs east-west) to the north. This appears to be an early medieval crannóg (with adjacent ringfort) occupied alongside a significant early medieval routeway running east/west along the esker. The crannóg was probably occupied in the tenth century and eleventh century AD. The crannóg was built of a cairn (diam. 17m; H 1.5m) of stones, earth and timber in marshy ground at base of steep esker, probably occupied between c.AD 950-1200 (contemporary with Ballinderry no. 1, which is situated 16km to west). The site was destroyed during modern land reclamation and was partly excavated by Cormac Bourke in the 1980s (Bourke 1986, 40; Bourke 1987, 37). The crannog was built on a wooden substructure on the underlying peat, of a platform of substantial trunks, across which were laid light timbers and brushwood, interlocked by notches. This was covered with sub-structural layers of clay, peat and stones, buttressed by heavy timbers at the edge. The occupation surface may be represented by an organic, midden layer found in different areas of the site. A possible house on the site was evident in a hearth set on a flat stone and two arcs of oak stakes (possibly remains o f a wattle wall) from a subcircular structure 6x4m in diameter. The occupation layer appears to have been covered by a layer of red/orange soil, interpreted as the burnt remains of a house. Otherwise, the occupation layer was sealed under a buff-tan clay, incorporating charcoal, crucible fragments, pieces of slag and a possible furnace, but no structures were found in this upper layer. The site was enclosed within an irregular palisade, including a cleft oak palisade on the east side (including two rows of planks with horizontals lying between) and an irregular roundwood post and plank palisade (with scatters of roundwood outside it) on the west. Some bone objects and comb fragments, datable to the tenth century AD, were found in association with this palisade, probably dating its construction to c.AD 950. Finds from the machine disturbed layers in the middle and edge of the site included a hoard of tenth-century Anglo-Saxon pennies (ranging AD 924-55, probably deposited c.AD 950), 20 bronze stick pins, a square-sectioned whetstone with copper-alloy fittings (probably a ceremonial scepter). Finds from outside the palisade included two quemstones, a wooden bucket stave, wooden staves from a small waisted vessel, fragments of leather, a double-sided comb, a shaft-hole iron axe, an iron pan or ladle. A great quantity o f animal bone (including cattle, sheep, pig, goat, horse, red-deer, hare and fox) was also found outside the palisade. Towards the end of the site’s life-history (possibly after a period of abandonment as indicated by the rotten palisade planks), the palisade on the east and southeast was mantled under a layer of stones and the mound mantled under a sterile layer of clay. This uppermost layer produced late twelfth-century green-glazed pottery sherds, an eleventh to twelfth century stirrup ring, a ring brooch, a copper alloy plaque and cast crouching animal (twelfth century date) and a fine jet cross of eleventh to twelfth century date, found in peat to the west of the site'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Aidan O'Sullivan. Date of upload: 10 March 2017

• WM038-012 Church
  Description

  Described in 1981 as 'A simple rectangular church aligned east-west, now almost completely shrouded in ivy. There is an ope for a large gothic window at the east end & three gothic windows, with brick incorporated into the surrounding walls in the south wall. There is a wide segmental arched opening probably a doorway below the smaller of these windows which is in the centre. At the west end of the south wall is a pointed doorway. The walls remain to their full height. No dressed or cut stones visible anywhere in the structure. A chimney flue can be seen near the south end of the east wall. This appears to be an 18th C[entury] or early 19th C[entury] church. Built on to the west end of the church is a burial vault with an elaborately carved coat of arms of 18th C[entury] type. The church is in a subrectangular graveyard (WM038-012001-) containing numerous 18th C[entury] & 19th C[entury] tombstones. There is nothing to indicate a date earlier that the 18th C for the site' (SMR file). The 1656 Down Survey Parish Map shows a castle and church and the terrier of the parish map recorded a 'Castle at Newtown with the walls of a church'. (NLI MS 723-4). Low's Castle (WM038-015) is located 80m to the NE of the church and graveyard. Church was revisited and described in 1982 as 'Remains of church now unroofed, and heavily cloaked in ivy which renders description difficult. Consists of a long nave, the ext. dimensions of which are 8.15m N-S x 17.5m E-W. Walls vary in thickness between 70-90cms and stand to a height of approx. 3m. Outline of a large E window clearly visible. Any window that originally existed in N wall has been blocked up, no opening visible in W gable wall. In SW corner of building remains of a pointed archway provides entrance to the interior. All cut stone has been ripped out and the top of the arch filled with plaster covered brick. There are 4 other openings in this W wall, 3 of them windows, the 4th a large opening at ground floor level, gently arched with brick. This is 2.2m wide and c. 2m high at the centre. In the interior of the church are a number of upright headstones. Immediately inside the ground floor opening is a slightly raised platform (c. 0.4m H) which abuts onto wall and which measures 3.5m E-W x 6m N-S. At east one gravestone lying on its side is legible and gives a date of 1837. Immediatlely adjacent to both ends of church are rectangular extensions. The one at the W end is obviously a family vault and measures 5.5m x 11.55m N-S. Outside E end of church low footings of a rectangular building obviously the chancel of an earlier or even the same church are visible. A portion of a wall jutting out from present E wall of church obviously forms part of a wall joining nave and chancel. A number of gravestones now stand within this area. Ext. dimensions of chancel 7.3m E-W x 7.6m N-S. Walls stand to a height of c. 1m at most. Portions of wall extending out from external face of N wall of church is also visible 6.7m from the NE corner of the building. Church in its present form appears to be of fairly recent date. However it is likely that the building we now have here is a remodelled version of an earlier church' (SMR file). This parish church was known as Nova Villa de Feraib Tulach and Richard Whit was listed as Rector of Newtown-Fertullagh in 1542 (Walsh 1957, 284). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 27 April 2010

• WM038-012001 Graveyard
  Description

  Described in 1981 as 'A simple rectangular church (WM038-012----) aligned east-west, now almost completely shrouded in ivy. This appears to be an 18th C[entury] or early 19th C[entury] church. Built on to the west end of the church is a burial vault with an elaborately carved coat of arms of 18th C[entury] type. The church is in a subrectangular graveyard containing numerous 18th C[entury] & 19th C[entury] tombstones. There is nothing to indicate a date earlier that the 18th C[entury] for the site' (SMR file). The 1656 Down Survey parish map shows a castle and church and the terrier of the parish map recorded a 'Castle at Newtown with the walls of a church' (NLI MS 723-4). Low's Castle (WM038-015) is located 80m to the NE of the church and graveyard. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 27 April 2010

• WM038-012002 Ecclesiastical enclosure
  Description

  A church (WM038-012----) is located in N quadrant of a subrectangular-shaped graveyard (WM038-012001-) with Low's Castle (WM038-015----) 80m to the NE. According to Swan (1988, 17) there is evidence of an Early Christian enclosure in the quadrantal form of the graveyard boundary wall. No clear evidence for the existence of such an enclosure at this site. Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 20 August 2015

• WM038-015 Castle - unclassified
  Description

  Described in 1973 as 'This is a roughly circular sharp sided mound, the western side of which has been somewhat defaced. This was presumably a motte (WM038-015001-). On top of the motte are the ruins of a squat round tower or keep, Numerous stone walls & wall footings can be traced in the field between the castle and the church & between the castle & the roadway.' (SMR file) An earlier report from 1913 describes this monument as 'This castle is circular on plan about 48 feet (14.6m) external diameter and the portion now standing is 25 feet (7.6m) in height greatly overgrown with ivy. The castle is all that remains of a more extensive series of buildings on the site of an ancient earthwork. The doorway is the only architectural feature now to be seen. Some cross walls have been built in the interior forming three or four small apartments. They are no part of the original construction, and it looks as if the interior had at one time been used as a private still for the manufacture of illicit spirits. The Castle appears to have been built by the Maddens, a once powerful family in Westmeath. O'Donovan says that Madden invited Geoghegan of Castletown on a visit and that when the time was up for Geoghegan to leave he declined to go and expelled the Maddebs and took possession of their property which he retained until the Parliamentary wars, when he was in turn expelled and a Cromwellian family named Low was installed instead. This family changed the name to Castle Low and resided there for many years until changing hands it came into the possession of the Goodbodys' (SMR file). The Lows were planted in this locality after the Restoration (1660), chiefly in the parishes of Newtown and Rahugh' (Walsh 1957, 287). William Low had grants of the land dating to 1666 and 1668 (Walsh 1957, 66). The castle of Baile Nua or Newtown was destroyed in 1474, in 1451 the castle of Ballinua alias Newtowne was taken by the sons of Brian Mageochagan (Walsh 1957, 284). The medieval church (WM038-012----) of Newtown is located 80m to the SW. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 27 April 2010

• WM038-015001 Earthwork
  Description

  Described in 1973 as 'This is a roughly circular sharp sided mound, the western side of which has been somewhat defaced. This was presumably a motte. On top of the motte are the ruins of a squat round tower or keep (WM038-015), Numerous stone walls & wall footings can be traced in the field between the castle and the church (WM038-012) & between the castle & the roadway.' (SMR file) the medieval church is located 80m to the SW. An earlier report from 1913 describes this monument as 'This castle is circular on plan about 48 feet (14.6m) external diameter and the portion now standing is 25 feet (7.6m) in height greatly overgrown with ivy. The castle is all that remains of a more extensive series of buildings on the site of an ancient earthwork.' (SMR file) Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 27 April 2010

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).

No address of the register names Newtownlow with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Westmeath.

Name

Newtownlow · An Baile Nua

Area

771,662 m² (77.17 ha, 190.68 acres)

Civil parish

Newtown, and its townlands

Barony

Moycashel

Electoral division

Newtown, the unit of the census

Neighbouring townlands

Ardmorney, Ballymachugh, Cornaher, Garryduff, Higginstown, Kilcloghan, Rahinashurock

Placenames

Newtownlow on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address; old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.