Castle, Castlejordan, Co. Meath

The story begins in 1551 when Elizabeth Duke, a widow, took possession of the manor following the attainder of Thomas Lynaghe. After marrying Richard Crofte, she ensured the property would pass to her sons from her first marriage, Henry and then Edward Duke. Henry's tenure proved financially troubled; he mortgaged the estate for £100 in 1592, only to have it redeemed by his sons-in-law Edward Loftus and Richard Gyfford, who planned to divide the property between them.

The Gyfford family ultimately established themselves as the dominant presence at Castlejordan. Following Richard Gyfford's death in 1595, his son Sir Richard took control, and by the time of the Civil Survey in 1654-6, Sir John Gifford owned virtually all the parish lands within County Meath. Meanwhile, the Duke family's complex web of marriages and inheritances scattered their interests across Ireland. Mary Duke's three marriages produced various claims and counterclaims, whilst Henry Duke's discovery of the 'hidden' lands of Clones abbey in County Monaghan created another branch of property that descended through different family lines, eventually reaching the absentee Lennard-Barrett family who held it into the 19th century.

Today, only fragments of the tower house remain in the valley of the Castlejordan River. The northern section survives at ground level, complete with the bases of two circular corner towers; the northwestern one features a cross-loop, whilst the northeastern contained a now-removed newel staircase that once rose to the third floor. A limestone date stone bearing the year 1632, now incorporated into a nearby farmhouse wall, suggests Sir John Gifford was likely responsible for the tower's construction or significant renovation. Another limestone plaque with a chamfered frame adorns the north side of the stair tower, though its inscription has worn away with time. The surviving doorways, fashioned from limestone in the pointed Gothic style, once connected the staircase to upper chambers that have long since vanished, leaving only these tantalising glimpses of what was once a substantial fortified residence.