Benburb Castle
Encyclopedia
Benburb Castle is a castle situated in Benburb
Benburb
Benburb is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies seven miles from Armagh and nine miles from Dungannon.Recently Benburb has seen a revival in businesses basing themselves there, Arts and Crafts being the main businesses, there is also a café and a restaurant at...

, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It is a plantation
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...

 bawn
Bawn
A bawn is the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house. It is the anglicised version of the Irish word badhún meaning "cattle-stronghold" or "cattle-enclosure". The Irish word for "cow" is bó and its plural is ba...

 built in 1611 by Sir Richard Wingfield. It is an irregular four-sided bawn with the entrance in the north wall. There are large rectangular flanking towers at the north-east and north-west corners and a smaller round tower at the south-east corner It is built on a limestone cliff overlooking the River Blackwater
Munster Blackwater
The Blackwater or Munster Blackwater is a river which flows through counties Kerry, Cork, and Waterford in Ireland. It rises in the Mullaghareirk Mountains in County Kerry and then flows in an easterly direction through County Cork, through Mallow and Fermoy...

, the border between County Tyrone and County Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...

. A 19th century house occupies the south west area of the bawn. The castle is in excellent condition having been recently restored and stands in the grounds of the imposing Servite Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...

, a religious order based in the village.

Benburb or Wingfield's Castle is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

 of Benburb, in Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council
Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council
Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council is a local council in Northern Ireland. Its main town is Dungannon, where the council is headquartered. The council area covers the southern part of County Tyrone and has a population of nearly 48,000...

 area, at grid ref: H8146 5199.

See also

  • Castles in Northern Ireland
    Castles in Northern Ireland
    The following is a partial list of castles in Northern Ireland:- County Antrim :* Antrim Castle * Ballycastle Castle* Ballygally Castle* Ballylough Castle* Belfast Castle* Carra Castle, ruins* Carrickfergus Castle, Restored Castle...

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