Still standing today, the 17th-century Castle Caulfield, built by Sir Toby Caulfeild in the early 1600s in the heart of what was previously O’Donnelly territory, is linked to notable historical figures such as St Oliver Plunkett and John Wesley.
Castle Caulfield, situated in the townland of Lisnamonaghan on the eastern edge of the village of Castlecaulfield, approximately 3km west of Dungannon in Co. Tyrone, is an example of a 17th-century English-style manor house and bawn.
It was erected in the aftermath of the Ulster Plantation between 1611 and 1619 by Sir Toby Caulfeild (1565–1627), an English soldier who was later created the 1st Lord Caulfeild, Baron of Charlemont. He also built a bridge over the nearby Torrent River and a watermill for corn. Caulfeild established a settlement nearby, planting 15 English families. This settlement eventually grew into the village of Castlecaulfield.
After the flight of Gaelic lord Hugh O’Neill in 1607, Caulfeild was appointed receiver of rents of the vast estates in the O’Neill territory. In 1610, King James I granted him the Manor of Aghloske or Aughlish, encompassing 1,000 acres in what had been O’Donnelly territory (Baile Uí Dhonnaíle / Ballydonnelly), a family loyal to the O’Neills.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
It was long believed that Caulfeild chose the site of an earlier O’Donnelly fortification to build Castle Caulfield, incorporating elements of the earlier structure. For example, a joist from one of the walls was dendrochronologically dated to around 1282, suggesting that it could belong to this earlier fortification. However, archaeological excavations in 2011 found no evidence of occupation at the site prior to the 17th century, which seems to indicate that the main seat of the O’Donnellys must have been elsewhere in their estate.
>>> READ MORE: The story of O’Doherty’s Keep, a medieval tower house in Buncrana
Castle Caulfield was described by Captain Nicholas Pynnar (surveyor) in 1618/19 as
“a fair house or castle … very good cellars under ground and all the windows of hewn stone … This is at this time the fairest building I have seen.”
Castle Caulfield was essentially unfortified and in 1641, the O’Donnellys, led by Patrick Modder (the gloomy) O’Donnelly, set fire to the mansion; traces of this burning are still visible on the building’s masonry. Castle Caulfield was quickly repaired and reoccupied by the Caulfeilds until at least the 1670s.
Sign up to our newsletter
In c.1670, when William Caulfeild (probably Toby’s nephew) was in residence, the courtyard was used by St Oliver Plunkett for ordinations. Come “to the courtyard of my palace”, he proclaimed. John Wesley also preached in front of the entrance gate in 1767 but the house had not been occupied since the late 17th century and was now in ruins.
Castle Caulfield was originally designed in a U-shaped plan with a rectangular main block and two projecting wings, all constructed from locally quarried Carboniferous limestone. However, the northwestern wing has been completely removed, leaving the house with an incomplete L-shape. The three-storey structure, complete with a basement beneath the main block, retains its tall chimneystacks and numerous large mullioned and transomed windows of dressed sandstone. The staircase has not survived.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Immediately to the northwest of the main building and adjacent to the northeastern wing is a low, squat gatehouse constructed from large blocks of basalt. The gatehouse, which includes two ground-floor rooms on either side of a vaulted passageway, features a round turret, murder holes and gun loops. It also displays the Caulfeild coat-of-arms above its entrance.
Excavations in 2011 revealed that the gatehouse incorporates elements from an earlier structure, possibly built by the 2nd Lord Charlemont; however, the actual date of the present remodelled building is uncertain. Archaeologists Naomi Carver and Colm Donnelly suggest that it could represent an 18th-century folly intended to create a “romantic ruin” in the landscape. Traces of an enclosing bawn wall were also discovered during the excavations.
The drawing of Castle Caulfield shown above was featured in The Irish Penny Journal in 1841. Today, apart from the northwestern wing, Castle Caulfield stands nearly to its original full height in most places, though it is now an empty shell. The site has been in State care since 1938 and is listed in the Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record (NISMR: TYR054:001). Some restoration works were carried out at the site between the 1950s and 1970s, while excavations were undertaken in the 1950s and again in 2011.
The substantial ruins of Castle Caulfield are open to the public, entry is free and parking is available on-site. For those interested in exploring the manor house further online, a virtual tour is available here.
Sign up to our newsletter
Subscribe to the Irish Heritage News newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram and Threads for all the latest heritage stories.
READ NOW
➤ Clonony Castle’s rich heritage and ties to the ill-fated Queen of England Anne Boleyn
➤ Discover your roots in Co. Monaghan with over 15,000 newly added records on RootsIreland
➤ Fr Lorcán Ó Muireadhaigh and the founding of “An tUltach” (The Ulsterman) in 1924
➤ A guide to navigating Northern Ireland’s church records
➤ The children’s burial ground in Drumanure, Co. Clare
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
