County: Westmeath Site name: CLONMELLON: Killua Castle
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0023
Author: Carmel Duffy
Site type: Country house
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 666391m, N 767295m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.651215, -6.995738
Killua Castle, former home of the Chapman family, was recently purchased and an assessment was carried out in 2001. There are several earlier monuments in the vicinity. In late 2002 (Excavations 2002, No. 1845) and 2003 the basement of the building was cleared by hand and with a mini-digger. The process was monitored. Various fragments of the building, plaster with paint in situ, stonework fragments, pieces of original timber window-frames, some fragments of fittings from the former period of use of the house (late 18th century to 1935), were recovered. Their find places were recorded on a grid. They are stored in a container on-site and will be used by consultants carrying out various aspects of the restoration work.
Any groundworks necessary for the making safe of the building and erection of scaffolding to enable access for restoration work were also monitored. Nothing of an archaeological nature was revealed. Work on the project is ongoing, and any further disturbance will be monitored.
Umberstown Great, Summerhill, Co. Meath
