Moated site, Courtnaboghilla, Co. Kilkenny

Co. Kilkenny |

Castle Features

Moated site, Courtnaboghilla, Co. Kilkenny

At the foot of a north-facing slope in Courtnaboghilla, County Kilkenny, a medieval moated site sits quietly amongst the surrounding pasture.

The site consists of a raised rectangular platform measuring approximately 44 metres east to west and 28.5 metres north to south, enclosed by a substantial earthen bank that still rises nearly 2 metres high in places. This defensive bank, roughly 4 metres wide, is accompanied by a waterlogged ditch or fosse that runs around the perimeter, measuring between 3 and 3.5 metres across. Though now overgrown with dense vegetation, trees and scrub, the fosse remains clearly visible on all sides.

The earthworks show varying states of preservation around the site. The western and southern sections of the bank remain the most intact, whilst the northern portion has worn down considerably over the centuries and the eastern side has been partially levelled. Along the eastern edge only, you can still make out a low outer bank, known as a counterscarp, standing about half a metre high and extending 2.5 metres wide. This additional defensive feature would have made the site even more formidable in its heyday.

Evidence of the original entrances can still be traced in the earthworks. A causewayed entrance, approximately 2 metres wide, is visible on the southwest corner where the bank and ditch were interrupted to allow access to the enclosed area. Historical records from Barry's 1977 survey also suggest there may have been another entrance midway along the northwest side, though this is less distinct today. These moated sites, common throughout medieval Ireland, typically date from the 13th to 14th centuries and were built by Anglo-Norman settlers or wealthy Irish families as fortified farmsteads, offering both defence and a statement of status in the landscape.

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Pete F
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