Johnstown Castle
Native name
Irish: Caisleán Bhaile Sheáín
TypeCastle
LocationJohnstown, Murntown, County Wexford, Ireland
Coordinates52°17′39″N 6°30′20″W / 52.294042°N 6.505436°W / 52.294042; -6.505436
Builtlate 12th century (original building)
1836–1872 (current building)
Architectural style(s)Gothic Revival
OwnerIrish Heritage Trust
Johnstown Castle is located in Ireland
Johnstown Castle
Location of Johnstown Castle in Ireland

Johnstown Castle is a Gothic Revival castle located in County Wexford, Ireland.[1][2][3]

Location

Johnstown Castle is located on the Johnstown Castle Estate, a 150 acres (61 ha) estate, located off the road between Murntown and Rathaspeck, 5.5 km (3.4 mi) southwest of Wexford town.

History

A four-sided tower made of weathered stone bricks, featureless except for a few slot windows, an arched entryway, and a simple turreted rooftop. The tower is 12-15 meters high (~40-50 feet). The walls are covered in ivy, moss, and lichen. The tower is surrounded by overgrown vegetation.
Rathlannon Tower House, built by the Norman Esmonde family, likely during the 15th century. The tower is located on the grounds of Johnstown Castle, southwest of the newer main castle.
The castle c. 1860–83 with garden and Victorian gentleman (presumably one of the Grogan-Morgans) in the foreground.

The first castle built on the estate was a tower house built in the late 12th century by the Esmonde family, Normans who came to southeast Ireland from Lincolnshire in the 1170s after the Norman invasion of Ireland (1169).[4] They also built a tower house, which still stands, at Rathlannon immediately to the south.[5]

Oliver Cromwell spent a night on the estate in 1649, prior to the October 1649 Sack of Wexford. His Roundhead army used the land around Johnstown Castle to prepare. The Esmondes, Catholics, were expelled during the Cromwellian years.

Johnstown Castle was bought by the Grogan family in 1692.

Owner Cornelius Grogan was hanged for his part in the 1798 Rebellion; he had been commissary-general for the United Irishmen.[6] In 1810 the estate was restored to his brother John Knox Grogan, who, with his son, Hamilton Knox Grogan-Morgan, created Johnstown Castle as it stands today, on the "bones" of the Norman tower house.[7][8] Daniel Robertson designed the Gothic Revival castle and parts of the surrounding land.[9] By 1863, the demesne was divided in two, with a deer park in the north and the castle, pleasure grounds, farm and two artificial lakes to the south.[10] By 1836–1872 the building was finished.[11]

The Grogans later married into the ancient FitzGerald family.

During the First World War, Royal Naval Air Service airships were based at Johnstown Castle, and were primarily used to deal with the U-boat threat, but with limited success.[12]

Lady Maurice FitzGerald (née Lady Adelaide Jane Frances Forbes, 1860–1942), wife of Lord Maurice FitzGerald (son of Charles FitzGerald, 4th Duke of Leinster), was the last owner to live in the house.[13]

Following the death of Lady Maurice in November 1942, the Johnstown Estate was inherited by her grandson, Maurice Victor Lakin.[14] He looked to dispose of the Estate and it came to the attention of Wexford County Manager TD Sinnott who recommended that the Minister for Agriculture, James Ryan, acquire the castle for the purpose as an agricultural college.

On 1 May 1944, the contents of the castle were sold off at a public auction lasting five days and conducted by Jackson Stops & McCabe.[15] On 17 October 1945, the Johnstown Castle Agricultural College Act was ratified and the castle and Estate were formally handed over to the State by the family in lieu of death duties.[16]

The castle was taken over by the Department of Agriculture (later An Foras Talúntais from 1959 and Teagasc from 1988) and used for research into soils with laboratories created in the castle. It opened to the public in 2019 following a period of renovation. It is managed by the Irish Heritage Trust under curator Matt Wheeler, and work on conserving and restoring the building continues.[17]

Castle

A Gothic Revival castle of 4 storeys. Interior goods include the "Apostles' Hall", with wood carvings of saints, as well as oil paintings, carved oak hall benches, mahogany billiard tables, dressing tables, upholstered sofas, fire grates and brass fenders.

A servants' tunnel, 86 metres (282 ft) in length, runs from the meat house to the kitchens.[18]

The former stable yard houses the Irish Agricultural Museum.

References

  1. ↑ "Johnstown Castle".
  2. ↑ Gaul, Liam (3 November 2014). Johnstown Castle: A History: A History. The History Press. ISBN 9780750959018 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ Gerrard, David (6 February 2004). The Hidden Places of Ireland. Travel Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781904434108 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Sheehy, Terence (6 November 1986). Journey through Ireland. Gallery Books. ISBN 9780831752613 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Lewis, Samuel (6 February 1840). "A topographical dictionary of Ireland: comprising the several counties, cities, boroughs corporate, market, and post towns, parishes and villages ... : With an appendix describing the electoral boundaries of the several bouroughs as defined by the act of the 2d. and 3d. of William IV". Lewis – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ Richards, Elizabeth (6 February 1999). The Diary of Elizabeth Richards (1798-1825): From the Wexford Rebellion in Ireland to Family Life in the Netherlands. Uitgeverij Verloren. ISBN 9789065501691 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ "Johnstown Castle opens to the public for the first time next month - here's a sneak preview". independent.
  8. ↑ Wallace, Arminta. "Restoration drama at Wexford's fairy tale Johnstown Castle". The Irish Times.
  9. ↑ "Johnstown Castle". 3 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Johnstown Castle Estate". www.discoverireland.ie.
  11. ↑ "Capturing the castle: Johnstown Castle in County Wexford is well worth checking out". www.irishexaminer.com. 24 June 2019.
  12. ↑ Furlong, Nicholas and John Hayes. County Wexford in the Rare Oul' Times. Vol. IV. 1910–1924. Wexford: Old Distillery Press, 2005. ISBN 0-9512812-3-2,
  13. ↑ "Take a tour of Wexford's Johnstown Castle - opening to the public in Spring 2019". www.irishexaminer.com. 1 September 2018.
  14. ↑ "Lady Maurice Fitzgerald". New Ross Standard. 20 November 1942. p. 4.
  15. ↑ "Sales By Auction". New Ross Standard. 21 April 1944. p. 1.
  16. ↑ "Irish Statute Book".
  17. ↑ "Irish Times". The Irish Times. 25 August 2018.
  18. ↑ "About". Johnstown Castle.
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