Jigginstown Castle
| Jigginstown Castle | |
|---|---|
Caisleán Bhaile an tSigínigh | |
 | |
  | |
| Alternative names | Strafford's Folly, Sigginstown Castle/House, Jigginstown House[1] |
| Etymology | Placename is first recorded in 1280 as Sigineston, meaning "Siggins' settlement"[2] |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Tudor |
| Location | Jigginstown |
| Town or city | Naas |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°12′50″N 6°40′56″W / 53.2139°N 6.6822°W |
| Elevation | 92 metres (302 ft) |
| Construction started | c. 1632 |
| Completed | late 1630s |
| Destroyed | 1640s |
| Cost | c. £6,000[3] |
| Owner | Irish state |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | Length 448 ft (137 m); facade length 380 ft (120 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Red brick, marble, lead, steel[1] |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John Allen |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access | Jiggstown Green bus stop (Bus Éireann routes 125, 126) |
Jigginstown Castle is a ruined 17th-century house[4] and National Monument near Naas, County Kildare, Ireland. It was constructed in the late 1630s when Ireland was under the reign of Charles I (1625–1649).[5] At the time it was one of the largest buildings in Ireland, and the first to be constructed of red brick: the plans provided for a pavement and columns of Kilkenny marble.
Jigginstown Castle was built on the periphery of an area known as The Pale, which was on the outskirts of Dublin. It was an area which was guarded on its outskirts by the English plantation settlers to protect valuables and livestock. The castle has also been previously known as Siggingstown Castle.[citation needed]
Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the 1630s, in his time the most powerful figure in Ireland, was responsible for the construction. His intention was for the castle to be a place where the King could reside on royal visits to Ireland.[6] The downfall and execution for treason of Lord Strafford in 1641 meant that the house was never completed, and it was largely destroyed during the civil strife of the 1640s. According to Strafford's biographer Veronica Wedgwood, the ruins were still visible in the 1950s. The basement and castle's ground floor still stand to this day.[7]
References
- ^ a b "1636 – Jigginstown House, Naas, Co. Kildare". 12 July 2016.
- ^ Otway-Ruthven, Jocelyn (1961). "Knight's Fees in Kildare, Leix and Offaly". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 91 (2): 163–181. JSTOR 25509431 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Jigginstown Castle, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland". kildare.ie.
- ^ http://webgis.archaeology.ie/historicenvironment/ SMR: KD019-033001- Description of monument. Retrieved 13 August 2018
- ^ Naas Local History Group, Naas Local History Group (1990). Nas na Riogh, an illustrated History (2nd ed.). Leinster Leader, Naas.
- ^ "Jigginstown Castle, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland". kildare.ie.
- ^ Wedgwood, C. V. Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford- a revaluation. Phoenix Press reissue 2000 pp. 225–226
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