Grange Castle

Built by Robert Hartpole who was appointed Constable of Carlow Castle and Governor of the Queen's County during the reign of Elizabeth I (O'Hanlon and O'Leary 1907, vol. 1, 290). A stone with the intitals RH and GB, carved in relief and dated 1588, was originally over the entrance doorway (Strickland 1922, 82-3). According to local information, the castle was destroyed twenty years ago. No visible surface remains survive.

Described by Daniel O'Byrne 'Grange Castle, like that of Shrule, is of many years standing; and is said to have been built by a wife of one of the Hartpoles, who so much abhorred the curel acts of her husband, the she erected the castle and resided in it in order that she would not have any familiar communication with him' (O'Byrne 1856, 77). According to the History of the Queens County 'The town of Monksgrange, a castle and a mill in repair, are noticed on Sir William Petty's Maps' (O'Hanlon and O'Leary 1982, 290).

Castle visited in 1782 by Austin Cooper and described as 'About 4 miles from carlow, on the Queen's County side of the Barrow, is Shrule, and ancient and beautifully situated seat of the hartpoles; it is a small, square modernized castle, with modern wings and additions. A little higher up the river is another small, square castle in ruins, called Grange, … over the door this inscription (LA032-008002-), which certainly implies its being built by the some of the above mentioned family' (Strickland 1922, 83).

Grange or Monksgrange was originally part of the property of the Cistercian Abbey of Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow, and Hartpole's Castle was probably built on the site of the "Grange" belonging to the Abbey. The castle, or tower, is now incoporated in a modern dwelling house (Strickland 1922, 83).

Pre-development testing at the site of a proposed farmyard development was undertaken in January 1994 by Dominic Delany under excavation licence no. 94U0001. The site is located close to the west bank of the river Barrow and lies about 40m north-east of the site of Grange Castle. An 18th-century sketch of the castle indicates it was a typical late medieval tower house structure (Austin Cooper 1782). The ruins of the castle were incorporated into a large dwelling house in the second half of the 19th century. This house was destroyed by fire c. 1950 and its ruins were subsequently cleared away to be replaced by a modern dwelling house and farm buildings. A single trial trench (6m x 1m) was mechanically excavated along the line of the proposed development. Nothing of archaeological interest was noted.