LATE-MED · FORTIFICATION

Tower-house

Armagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 5577
Period
LATE-MED
Site type
FORTIFICATION
Nation
Northern Ireland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Tower-house, Armagh is a late medieval fortification dating to the fifteenth or sixteenth century. The structure represents a common defensive architectural form adopted by Anglo-Norman and Gaelic Irish landowners in Ulster during the late medieval period, serving both residential and military purposes. Such tower-houses typically comprised a narrow rectangular or square stone tower of several storeys, designed to provide secure accommodation and protection for a family and their moveable goods during periods of local conflict. The survival of this monument contributes to our understanding of domestic fortification practices in medieval Armagh and the broader defensive strategies employed throughout late medieval Ulster.

Tower-house is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 5577. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Tower-house?

Tower-house, Armagh is a late medieval fortification dating to the fifteenth or sixteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 5577.

What period does Tower-house date from?

Tower-house dates from the late-med period, and is classified as a fortification. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Tower-house?

Tower-house is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 5577.

What other scheduled monuments are near Tower-house?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (0.8 km), Rath (0.9 km), Doogary lough. possible crannog in doogary lough (1.5 km).

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