Ballylehane
(also known as Ballylenan, Ballihenan, ana
Lynanstown). This was a large but poorly defensible castle. A castle
already stood at this location in 1346. The site must have been occupied
by the O'Connors of Offaly, perhaps in the middle ages, because an
armorial panel with the O'Connor coat of arms, formerly located in the
castle, was later built into a gate-pier. In 1563, the earl of
Ormond received a grant in this border area of the abbey at Leix
(Abbeyleix) and planned the construction of several castles,
including Ballylehane .88
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,
the castle was owned by the Hovendens, an English family.89
However, from at least 1619 onwards it was held by members of the Greame
(also called Graham) family, who were Scots and who were related to the
Hovendens. Christian, daughter of Sir Richard Greame, knt., died at this
castle in 1624, then called 'Linnastonne.'90
The castle was taken by
the earl of Castlehaven in 1643, when it was defended by George
Graham, who kept a garrison, who Castlehaven described as
'English and Scottish mungrells, the best horsemen in them
parts...’ Presumably, the castle's bawn was large because the site
was said to have held over one thousand Englishmen and Protestants.
However, other accounts mention 250 to 300 or 500 refugees.
Castlehaven's cannons breached the walls. One contemporary stated that
63 shots of their 'great Ordinance' were fired at the castle yet none of
the besieged were materially hurt, which indicates that the
attackers must have used field artillery only and did not have fire
bombs in their arsenal. Partly because of lack of water, the garrison
surrendered in August 1643 on condition that they could march out with
their arms. One account relates that the castle was demolished, but this
appears to be incorrect.91
The Hovenden family returned to reside at the
castle, for we find lat in 1648 Thomas Oge Oventon [sic, Hovenden],
presumably a Catholic, held the castle, but that it then was captured by
General O'Neill in one hour. Probably the siege was short because the
castle had no defenses against O'Neill artillery. A contemporary account
mentioned that the castle was ‘verie rich of malte, corne, brasse, armes.
ammunition, and the matter of £3000 of money and plate...'92
O'Neill, presumably because of lack of manpower, decided not to keep the
castle as a garrison, and ordered it to be burned.93
Castlehaven's account of 1643 mentions a togher
close to the site, probably in the direction of Athy (Co. Kildare),
which 'was a great way cut through a Bog, and 1 believe about half a
Mile in length.'94 It is not clear whether the castle was
only accessible through the togher; the site of the togher has not yet
been identified. Nowadays, there are no remains of a castle other than
the armorial stone mentioned above.95
- References'
- 88. Loeber, Geography and practice,
p. 42.
- 89. White, Tudor plantations, p. 452;
Sweetman et al., Archaeological inventory, p. 118.
- 90. [Lamacraft], Funeral entries,
p. 119; NLI, Report on Private Coll., xii, p. 2510, 1 Mar. 1618-9,
l6 Ja. I., Lease by Sir Richard Greame of Lynanstowne, Queen's Co.,
knt., to several individuals in Co. Wicklow. On the Greame or Graham
family in Co. Laois, see Sir B. Burke, Vicissitudes of families
(London, 1863), 3rd series, pp 139-59; Ballylynan, also known as
Lynanstown, is situated about 2 miles NE of Ballylehane, but no
castle is indicated at that location.
- 91. Castlehaven's memoirs, pp
65-66, 68; TCD, MS 815, ff. 112, 338v, 344; J. Hogan (ed.),
Letters and papers relating to the Irish rebellion
(Dublin, 1936), pp 101-2; Gilbert, Aphorismical discovery, i,
p. 68; A full relation, Not only of our good successe in
general... (London, J642); slightly different information in
A true I relation..., pp 2-3.
- 92. Gilbert, Contemporary history,
i, 246-47.
- 93. O'Leary and Lalor, Queen's County,
ii, p. 529.
- 94. Castlehaven's memoirs, p. 66.
Source: From the book 'LAOIS
History & Society'. 1999. by Padraig G. Lane & William Nolan. p.400-401.
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