Sigginstown Castle

References to the Siggins family in Co. Wexford date from 1342 when Thomas Siggin is recorded, and Thome Siggen de Siggenston was on the jury of an inquisition into Tintern Abbey (WX045-027001-) in 1543 (Hore 1900-11, vol. 2, 86). In 1596 Sygen of Sigginstowne was listed as one of the gentlemen of Forth barony (Jeffrey 1979, 35 6). According to the Book of Survey and Distribution (1660s) Edward Siggins held 106 acres at Sigginstown in 1640 and 44 acres at Atlistowne and Rochland (Ecclestowm) (Simington 1953, 304-5). Edward Siggin with eight dependents was listed for transplantation in 1653, and assigned 306 acres in Connaught in 1655 (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 502-5). The land was granted to William Jacob, a soldier from Cambridgeshire, and 553 acres were confirmed to him in 1667 (Hore 1921, 50). The Jacob family lived at the castle and held the estate into the 19th century (Jeffrey 1979, 36).

The castle is situated on a level landscape. It is a rectangular tower house (ext. dims 7.5m E-W; 7.3m N-S) with a base-batter and good quoins, and it survives to the wall-walk (H 13.4m). A pointed entrance doorway of dressed granite (Wth 0.93m; H 1.69m), now blocked, towards the W end of the N wall is protected by a machicolation on the parapet, a portcullis and a small cross loop (H 0.84m; Wth 0.33m) into the lobby from the ground floor chamber. This chamber (int. dims 4.45m E-W; 3.2m N-S) has three embrasures, each with a double-splay loop, and the E and S embrasures have two long loops or spy-holes converging at the angles. These extend from the embrasures (inner opening 0.3m x 0.3m; L 2m plus) and emerge as small openings on the outer faces of the walls close to the angles. The W embrasure has only one spy-loop extending towards the NW angle as the SW angle is occupied by the chute from the garderobe chambers on the floors above. In addition the outer wall of the stairs passage in the N wall has two similar loops. A lintelled antechamber (int. dims 1.54m E-W; 1.18m N-S; H 1.95m) at the NE angle on the ground floor has a light on the E wall and an inserted lintelled doorway (Wth 0.99m; H 1.75m) at N, which provides access to the house attached to the tower house on this side. From the original entrance lobby a short passage with a lintelled doorway (Wth 0.91m; H 1.78m) to the ground floor chamber leads to a mural stairs, which rises in the N wall. From the E end of the stairs a lintelled doorway in granite, now blocked, accesses the first floor under the E-W vault, which has evidence of wicker-centring. This floor was supported on corbels in the N and S walls, and it has slit windows in the E and W walls. An antechamber controlling the portcullis is at the W end of the N wall.

Outside the first floor doorway at the NE angle a newel stairs rises to the second floor over the vault, which is accessed by a lintelled doorway, but the stairs tower protrudes into the second floor area (int. dims 4.18m N-S; 4.15m E-W). There is a segmental-arched embrasure with a slit-window and sometimes evidence of wicker-centring on each wall. The N embrasure is adapted into a doorway to the attic level of the attached house, and the W window has hinge-stones for an internal shutter. There is a fireplace (Wth 1.68m; H 1.2m; D 0.58m) of dressed granite with an overhanging mantel on the S wall, and a garderobe chamber at the SW angle has a cross-loop matching that on the newel stairs at the NE angle. The ceilings of this and the third floor are supported on corbels in the N and S walls. The newel stairs continue to the third floor, which has a window in in an embrasure on each wall, a fireplace on the S wall, a garderobe chamber at the SW angle. There is an antechamber with a cross-loop and spy-hole at the SE angle, which is entered from the embrasure of the E wall window. The newel stairs continue to the fourth floor, which has four windows in arched embrasures, and the stairs continue to the destroyed parapet with a lookout platform over the stairs housing. All the windows are simple rectangular lights.

Attached to the N of tower house is a rectangular two-storey and attic house (int. dims 13.95m N-S; 6.04m E-W). It has a seven-bay E-facing front constructed entirely of brick, which has a central doorway (Wth 1.33m) and three windows (Wth 0.8-1.02m) on either side. The W wall is masonry, with brick confined to the surrounds of the four window or doorways (Wth 1.3-1.7m). The original doorway of the tower house together with the inserted doorway at ground level and the doorway inserted into the window embrasure of the N wall at the second floor all communicate with the house, which could date to the 17th or 18th century. The crease of the roof is visible on the outside of the N wall of the tower house, but there is no evidence of fireplaces in the house.

Archaeological testing (16E0519) by C. McLoughlin found evidence of archaeological deposits inside and outside the tower house and the later house (excavations.ie 2016: 695). Further excavation (19E0037) by P. D. Sweetman removed the deposits at the ground floor of the tower house which proved largely to be sterile boulder clay. At the second floor he uncovered a beaten clay floor at the entrance to the garderobe that melded into a clay surface with stones which seems to have been the floor level, but the upper surface of the vault was not uncovered. The wall-walk was also cleaned back by hand and the slabs sloping downwards externally did not extend to the inner edge of the wall. Two corbels at the top of the N and S walls were in place to support a hip-roof. Work in the attached house uncovered internal walls with two redbrick corner fireplaces, and red-tiled floors from the nineteenth century occupation but no earlier material. Externally, the topsoil reduced to an undisturbed boulder clay everywhere but there was a cobbled surface E of the house. (Sweetman 2019)