The Beamish tower

 On a hilltop in the Delacour villa estate on what was once the site of a church and graveyard, is a stone tower built by Charles Beamish around 1857. It is not certain whether it was built as a mausoleum or a folly however it is believed that Charles was buried there before being exhumed and reburied in the St Andrews, Kilmurry graveyard where his son Charley is. I have been unable to find any record of his burial place. 

Charles was a chief instigator and driving force behind the building of the Cork to Macaroon railway first proposed in 1852. It is thought that left over materials, some of which were taken from the Beamish's quarry,  may have been used in building the tower.   It would also have been an opportunity to provide work after the famine. Charles was seen as a good landlord who also initiated roadworks (the Beamish Line) and bridge building which created work.



The interior of the tower showing remains of floor supports

What could this cross built into the stonework mean?


A fascinating twist was the accidental discovery in 1927 of a network of skilfully engineered underground tunnels in the area of the tower by a boy hunting rabbits with a ferret. He followed the ferret into a small hole and found himself in an underground tunnel. An opening had to be chiselled out to get the boy out. Explosives were used to create a larger opening and at least 7 chambers were discovered. Some are connected by creep holes. In chamber 6 there is room for at least 5 people to sit on a bench and more people could be accommodated in other areas. There is a barrel vault ceiling. There's a square well and drainage tunnels. Archaeologists have said it is similar to souterrains built in south west France but have been unable to date it. When it was excavated relatively modern tools were found inside. Could it have been built by the Delacours who were originally from France? 

Did Charles Beamish know the souterrain was there? It's hard to imagine as an engineer he could build a tower on the site and not know what was underneath it. Did he have any involvement in its construction or extension or was it built many centuries earlier possibly by the Normans?  Fascinating!

Original citation:

McCarthy, J. P., 2003. Dunisky, Co. Cork: a refuge souterrain? Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, 108, pp.15-30 .

A plan of the Dunisky souterrain is on display in the Kilmurry museum


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bartholomew Cooke

Image
Bartholomew Cooke, son of William and Bridget Cooke, was born in Cork in 1818. He had one sister, Eliza. His first marriage was to Eliza Eccles who died June 28 1847 aged 22, when their daughter Anna Christina born August 1, 1847, was just over a year old. We were very fortunate to meet one of her descendants earlier this week; Patricia Sargent who still lives here in Cork. She makes amazing delicious rocky-road style chocolate squares! Bartholomew married Sarah Jane Kiely Connor in 1850 (no children recorded).  She died in 1856 aged 34. When he was 42 years old he married our great grandmother Alice Levingston and they had one son together, William Levingston Cooke born 13 July 1865 in Cork.  Bartholomew was a successful businessman but lost all his savings in the Munster bank crash. However he must have partially recovered financially by the time he died as his will held in the record Office, Dublin gives the value of his estate at 3064 pounds which would be worth about half a millio
Read more

The Hook peninsula , Wexford

Image
For the next week I will be  staying in the Wexford/Wicklow area researching the Levingston ancestors, who descended from the McDougall clan of Scotland.  Today I drove out around the beautiful Hook peninsula.  Ireland is so physically gorgeous and the history so interesting! I can't help but be in awe of the skill and expertise, not to mention the determination and perseverance, that went into the building of structures like Tintern Abbey and the Hook lighthouse in the Middle Ages. And that they were treasured and maintained by generations since.. This medieval lighthouse built in the early thirteenth century to help sailing ships safely navigate the dangerous Wexford coastline, is one of the oldest operational lighthouses in the world. It is 4 stories high and the walls are up to 4 metres thick. It's believed that before it was built the monks of St Dubhan had kept a fire burning to warn ships. The lighthouse was commissioned by William Marshall, Lord of Leinster. (More about
Read more

St Mary's: Blessing the journey

Image
On my first morning in Ross On Wye  I was u p at dawn with no sign of jet lag! I wandered around this beautiful historic town Ross-on Wye which I am exploring  for a few days.While I was admiring the exterior of the 13th century church overlooking town, an elderly well-dressed gentleman who i think was a priest came out to greet me through the rather incongruous self- opening electronic double doors. He pointed excitedly up at the ancient bell tower saying "Look ,what can you see?"  I was able to (thanks to the efforts of my eye surgeon) spot a fluff of feathers high up on the edge of  the belfry which he proudly told me belong to a juvenile harrier which he hopes has come back to stay.  He then invited me to explore the interior of the magnificent church. It was pretty special because he left me to have it all to myself for my own personal  communion, and to receive a blessing for my journey. As the first of the congregation began arriving for 8am mass, I slipped out and awa
Read more