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XI.—Observations on the Ancient Domestic Architecture of Ireland: in a Letter addressed to the Earl Stanhope, President

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2012

John Henry Parker Esq.
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Extract

Perhaps no country in the world possesses so complete a series, as Ireland, of Domestic Architecture, in the full meaning of the words, that is, of human habitations; it begins with the underground abodes and the beehive houses of the earliest inhabitants of the island (belonging to the same period as the Cromlechs and Cairns), and is continued almost without interruption to our own day. But, before any attempt is made to describe or to classify the existing remains of human dwellings in Ireland, it is necessary to call attention particularly to the geological formation of the country. The nature of the building materials, as is well known, exercises great influence everywhere upon the architectural character, but nowhere else is this so evident and distinct as in Ireland. With a few rare exceptions, such as unfortunately are Dublin and Belfast, and their immediate neighbourhoods, stone is every where abundant, and generally of the same quality, extremely hard and durable, but very- difficult to cut or work in any way. A very large part of Ireland is an immense limestone plain, covered indeed in many places with extensive peat-bogs, but these are seldom very deep; in general the stone is very near the surface, and in many places it crops out. This limestone when broken up, and especially when burnt into lime and mixed with the peat, makes a very fertile soil. In many districts, especially in Galway, the surface is so much covered with loose stones of large size, that they have to be removed before the soil can be cultivated.

Type
Research Article
Information
Archaeologia , Volume 38 , Issue 1 , 1860 , pp. 149 - 176
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1860

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References

page 153 note a For an account of bee-hive houses in the county of Kerry, see Mr. Dunoyer's memoir, Archseological Journal, vol. xv. p. 1.

154 * [The Society are indebted to Mr. Parker for the use of this woodcut]

page 155 note a There appears strong reason to believe that the vault and stone roof are part of the alteration in the twelfth century, and the ledge may arise from the greater thickness of the earlier walls, which had originally the floors and roof of wood. The construction of the base of the round tower in the west gable shows that the vault and roof were built with it, and added upon the walls of Cyclopean masonry; all the upper part is of small stones. There is a space between the top of the vault and the ridge of the roof, but hardly sufficient to have been used for any purpose, and there was apparently no access to it.

page 156 note a It seems probable that this arch and tympanum belong to the work of the twelfth century; the parts of the walls are Cyclopean, but this arch is of small stones.

page 162 note a “Great and rich was the spoile, such store of beddes, so many goodly hangings, so rich a wardrob, such braue furniture, as truly it was accompted for housholde stuffe and vtensiles one of the richest earle his houses vnder the Crowne of Englande.” The account of the siege, sent to the King by the Lord Deputy, Sir William Skeffington, confirms this. It appears that the garrison consisted of little more than 100 able men. “Ther was within the same above 100 habill men, wherof were above 60 gunners.” Of this garrison, 60 were killed in the assault, and 37 taken prisoners; and 26 of them were executed two days afterwards, after being tried by a court martial.—State Papers of Henry VIII. vol. ii. p. 236.

page 169 note a I am indebted to G. M. Hills, Esq. Architect, for the drawings and description of this castle, which I was prevented from visiting personally.

page 175 note a Hardiman's History of Galway, p. 235.