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Bagenals Castle

Map Evidence

A series of extant maps of Newry illustrate the development of the town from that time. The earliest map of Newry is that referred to and briefly described at 2.1 above.

Two maps, one of the late 17th and the other of early 18th century show the earlier castle at the top of Mill St probably the one built in 1480, and indicate Bagenal's castle, as a substantial structure on the edge of the north-south street. The earlier representation shows a symmetrical structure with a hipped roof and chimneystacks towering over the north and south gables. This corresponds well with the 1570s map and elevation drawing of Bagenal's Castle.

Remarkably, the castle was not indicated on any OS map suggesting that it was largely forgotten by the 1830s. The OS memoir records the removal of the projecting stair tower using gunpowder in the late 18th century. A strong belief that the castle remains are actually part of the Cistercian Abbey persists to the present day.