
Favour Royal Woodland Site, County Tyrone; Archaeological Report
2.14.1 Introduction
2.14.1.1 Location
This site is located approximately 15km north of Monaghan town
on the Monaghan border, Co. Tyrone (Figure 46).
2.14.2 Receiving Environment
2.14.2.1
Placenames
County "Tyrone or in Irish "Tir Eoghain"; the descendants
of Eoghan [Owen], son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, possessed
the territory extending over the counties of Tyrone and Derry
and the two baronies of Raphoe and Inishowen in Donegal; all this
district was anciently called Tir-Eoghain [Tir-Owen: Wars of GG],
'Owen's territory', which is now written Tyrone and restricted
to one county" (Joyce 1856, 88). "Tir" in Irish
means broadly "country", "land", "territory"
and "the people of any of these concepts" (Flanaghan
& Flanaghan 1994, 152).
Townland
Favour Royal Demesne; circa 1655. The townland derives its name
from Favour Royal Bawn, a large fortified mansion house ruins
of which stand in the neighbouring townland of Lismore on the
opposite side of the Blackwater. Favour Royal House was built
by Sir Thomas Ridgeway in 1611 and named because the land was
granted as a royal favour from James 1st. The present mansion
dates from 1824. The original name of the townland was "Achadh
Maoil" meaning "field of the bald hillock" (McKay
1999, 69).
Barony
Clogher; in Irish "Clochar" meaning "stony place"
(Flanaghan & Flanaghan 1994, 191). "Clogher is so named
after the keeping-place Clogh-Oir, the 'Gold Stone', a gold covered
Pagan image. In the sixth century it was the centre of the kingdom
of Oriel. Behind the cathedral is the hill-fort of Rathmore, inauguration
place of the kings of Oriel" (Pennick 1996, 184-5).
Parish
Errigal Trough in Monaghan, 'the church of [the barony of] Trough'.
Errigal Trough; "Errigal", in Irish "Aireagal",
meaning 'a habitation, a small church' (Joyce 1856, 98).
2.14.2.2 Topography
The topography of the site comprises:
(i) Typical drumlin country, conical hill and valley
2.14.2.3
Cartographic Sources
An analysis of Ordnance Survey maps from the early nineteenth
century to date gives a picture of the development of the townland
over time. There is no Down Survey map available for this county.
The 1st edition Ordnance Survey map (1834) shows the forest site of Favour Royal as only partially forested on its western and eastern sides (Figure 48). The majority of the forest site is unforested in 1834. Favour Royal forest site is located within 'Favour Royal Demesne' townland and contains 670 acres 3 roods and 20 perches. Favour Royal Demesne House is well denoted with large areas of formal gardens to the east of the house. The townland comprises large field plots many of which show some sort of tree cover whether sparse planting or tree-lined field boundaries. There is woodland directly north of the house and to the west. A 'fort' is denoted in the south-eastern corner representing TY059:064 (enclosure). A 'quarry' is located in the woodland to the east of the forest site while a 'well' and 'ruin' are noted to the west of the forest site within Favour Royal Demesne. A 'Church' is located in the north-west corner of the townland with a wooded area to the north and south.
In the townlands of Derrymeen, Lismore and Cullenbrone to the north of Favour Royal demesne the townlands show wooded areas along their southern boundaries adjoining Favour Royal Demesne. The rest of the townlands are devoid of trees. They appear well laid out in rectilinear field plots in 1834. Deer Park townland to the south-west of the forest site shows some wooded areas while Edenmore townland to the west of Favour Royal demesne shows sparse tree cover on the east and tree-lined boundaries in the west of the townland close to a 'ruin'. In Drumadarragh townland to the west of Favour Royal demesne a 'Fort' and 'Quarry' (TY059:054) are noted in close proximity to the adjoining townland of Favour Royal demesne.
The 3rd edition Ordnance Survey map (1936-46) shows the forest site as largely unforested except on the western and eastern margins (Figure 49). Favour Royal Demesne is clearly denoted and contains 699 acres and 3 perches at this time. Favour Royal House is located north of the forest site with 'St. Mary's Church-Portclare' located to the west of the house. There is an area of woodland to the south-west of the church. The demesne of Favour Royal borders the forest site to the north. The area of woodland arcing around the forest site to the south is called 'Latten Wood' between 1936 and 1946. Two recorded archaeological sites are noted; one to the west of the forest site comprising a 'Fort'; TY059:063 and to the east of the forest site a 'Fort'; TY059:064.
The townland of Deer Park to the south-west of the forest site is predominately wooded between 1936 and 1946 as is the townland of Edenmore to the west. In Lismore townland to the north-east, 'Lismore Wood' is shown bordering Favour Royal Demesne on the south. In Derrymeen townland to the north, 'Brownhill Wood' and 'Brown Hill' as well as 'Fort Hill' are clearly shown bordering Favour Royal Demesne on the south. Killybrick House is well depicted to the north-west of the forest site within the townland of Callagh. 'Killybrick Wood' is noted further north-west as well as 'Gallagh Wood'.
2.14.2.4
History
An early account of the parish of Errigal Trough is gained from
Samuel Lewis in his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland during
his travels in the early nineteenth century:
"Errigal Trough, a parish partly in the barony of Clogher, county of Tyrone but chiefly in that of Trough, county of Monaghan and province of Ulster, three miles south south-west from Aughnacloy, on the road to Emyvale and on the river Blackwater; contains 49321 inhabitants. It comprises 24,792 and one quarter statute acres, according to the Ordnance Survey of which 21,174 and one quarter acres are in Monaghan and 102 and one quarter are under water; 21,834 acres are applotted under the Tithe Act. About four-fifths of the land are arable and pasture and there is a great deal of mountainous land used for grazing and some bog on the western boundary; agriculture is improving. There is an abundance of limestone and sandstone and coal is supposed to exist in the Sleabea mountains, though it has not been worked. On the north-west confines of the parish is Lough More. A small factory for weaving linen has been recently erected here. The gentlemen's seats are Fort Singleton, that of T. Singleton, Esq., situated in a well wooded demesne of 200 acres; Favour Royal, the handsome residence of J. Corry Mountray, Esq., erected near the site of the ancient house which was destroyed by fire in 1823 and surrounded by a richly wooded demesne of 740 acres; and Laurel Hill of W.H. Mayne Esq. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Clogher and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is appropriate to the see of Clogher; the tithes amount to £400 of which £215.7.8 and one quarter is payable to the Bishop and the remainder to the incumbent. The glebe house stands on a glebe of 40 acres. The church is a very neat modest structure; a handsome cruciform church in the later English style with a square tower at the north-east angle was erected in the demesne of Favour Royal in 1835, at an expense of £1000 by Mr. J. C. Mountray Esq., who has endowed it with £50 per annum, augmented with £30 per annum by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners; it is open to the public, there being no other within three miles of Favour Royal and is called St. Mary's, Portclare; the living is a donative in the patronage of the founder.
The Roman Catholic parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church and containes three chapels, one at Knockconnan built in 1820 at an expense of £700; another in the townland of Drimbriston built in 1823 at an expense of £500; the third built in 1787 in the townland of Mullyoden. The first two were erected and the third repaired under the exertions of Rev. C. McDermot, the parish priest. There is a national school at Moy; there are three other public schools of which one at Fort Singleton is supplemented by T. Singleton Esq., who built the school house, in which the curate of the parish performed divine service twice every Sunday. There are also four hedge schools, three scriptural and four Sunday schools. In that portion of the parish which is in Co. Tyrone is a remarkable place called Altadawin, where it is said St. Patrick assembled the first of his followers: it is a valley, 150 feet deep through the centre of which a tongue of land of considerable altitude extends and on the summit stands a large rock in the form of an altar, adjoining which is another rock in the form of a chair. The valley is covered with trees and a beautiful stream runs nearly through its centre. A royal residence of an independent prince of the O' Nial family is reported to have stood here formerly" (Lewis 1837, 29).
Favour Royal Demesne dates to circa 1655. The townland derives its name from Favour Royal Bawn, a large fortified mansion house in ruins which stands in the neighbouring townland of Lismore on the opposite side of the Blackwater. Favour Royal Demesne House was built by Sir Thomas Ridgeway in 1611 and named because the land was granted as a royal favour from James 1st.
The present mansion dates to from 1824. "The original name of the townland was "Achadh Maoil" meaning "field of the bald hillock" (McKay 1999, 69).
A number of notable houses were identified in the vicinity of the forest including Favour Royal Demesne House to the north; Killybrick House to north-west and Anktell Mountray Hall to south-west.
Bence
Jones describes Favour Royal Demesne House as follows:
"Mountray: A somewhat austere Tudor-Gothic house of 1825,
said to be an architect named William Warren; built for John Corry
Mountray to replace a house of 1670 destroyed by fire in 1823.
It is two storey with an attic of rather low-pitched gables in
front; three storeys at the back. The front of the house has large
rectilinear windows with elaborate Gothic tracery and hood mouldings
over them. Now owned by the Forestry Commission" (Bence-Jones
1988, 124).
2.14.2.5
Folklore
There was no material revealed during an examination of the Department
of Irish Folklore archive in UCD.
2.14.3 Field Inspection
2.14.3.1 One of the smaller sites, measuring only 12 hectares. It is located just across the border from Monaghan and is part of the same forest complex as Derrynagill. It consists of relatively young conifers (Plate 48) and was thus difficult to access and had low visibility. The entire site was surveyed and no archaeological sites were identified. No vernacular structures or field walls were identified.
On the adjacent hilltop to the study area is a large bivalliate ringfort. It is quite substantial and is situated in a commanding location with good views of the surrounding countryside. It was likely an important site. It consists of a substantial inner bank, over 2m in height (Plate 48) and a lower outer bank (Plate 49) with a space of approximately 2m between them. There is no sign of an associated ditch feature. The banks are currently covered with mature deciduous trees. It may in fact be a tree ring and not a ringfort.
2.14.3.2 New Sites
There were no new archaeological sites identified as part of the
forest survey.
2.14.4 Desk Study
2.14.4.1
The Recorded Monuments (Figure 47)
The Sites and Monuments record (SMR) of Dúchas-The Heritage
Service, Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands
refers to the following sites within and in the environs of Favour
Royal Woodland, County Tyrone.
From the 6" Ordnance Survey maps, a list of the archaeological
sites and their proximity to the woodland site was compiled.
SMR No. Distance to Favour Royal Woodland Site Type
TY059:051 500m N Enclosure (site of)
TY059:064 20m E Enclosure Settlement
TY059:063 70m S Rath
TY059:054 500m W Enclosure
TY059:050 650m NW Rath
There are no recorded archaeological monuments within Favour Royal Demesne Woodland.
Within the environs of Favour Royal Demesne Woodland the following SMR sites are recorded:
SMR
No. TY059:051
Townland Derrymeen
Barony Not Indicated
Site Type Enclosure (site of)
NGR Not Indicated
Height O.D. 200 feet OD
Description The site was kicked up as a possible enclosure site
from the name 'Fort Hill'. The hill itself is a low rounded topped
feature within Favour Royal Forest. At present its lower slopes
are heavily planted with mature conifers but its summit is unplanted
grass. Local forester informs that the summit was a timber storage
area and has been left unplanted. The hills somewhat flat topped
and has no visible evidence for a fort or enclosure although high
grass could obscure slight breaks of slope. There are several
vehicle tracks across the summit. Forester also has not come across
any upstanding remains on the hill therefore doubt if there was
a site here or if there was it has been levelled. Remains of an
enclosure on Fort Hill. No visible remains or knowledge amongst
forestry personnel.
Classification C
Area of Interest 30m
Distance 500m N
SMR
No. TY059:064
Townland Favour Royal Demesne
Barony Not Indicated
Site Type Enclosure Settlement
NGR Not Indicated
Height O.D. 200 feet OD
Description Located on a reasonably flat hilltop over looking
a tributary of the River Blackwater. A small circular site defined
by a low bank and external ditch. It has been slightly truncated
at the east by a field boundary. The interior is reasonably level
and a gap at the west seems to be an entrance. It is sparsely
planted with mature conifers as part of a larger plantation. The
site measures 13m in diameter N-S. The surrounding bank is 3m
wide, 1.20m above the interior and 1m above the ditch. The ditch
is well silted up and is 2m wide. The entrance is 3m wide at the
top and 1.30m wide at the base. There is a causeway over the ditch.
Classification C
Area of Interest 30m
Distance 20m E
SMR
No. TY059:063
Townland Favour Royal Demesne
Barony Not Indicated
Site Type Rath
NGR Not Indicated
Height O.D. Not Indicated
Description The site is situated on the western edge of a drumlin
with good views to west, north and south-west. The ground falls
away steeply to the west. The site consists of a central area
sloping down towards the north enclosed by a bank, ditch and counterscarp
bank. Beech trees are planted all over the site but sparsely in
the centre. It creates a very fine landscape feature. The counterscarp
is turned into a field fence by a ditch on the outside. This turns
into a regular line running away from the site at the east but
the low counterscarp continues around the site. The site measures
33m N-S and 30m E-W. The site is not a bivalliate rath as stated
in the scheduling papers of the DOE.
Classification C
Area of Interest 30m
Distance 70m S
SMR
No. TY059:054
Townland Drumadarragh
Barony Not Indicated
Site Type Enclosure: Not an Antiquity
NGR Not Indicated
Height O.D. Not Indicated
Description The site appears on the 3rd edition Ordnance Survey
map as a portion of an enclosed land to the west of the crossroads,
comprising one quarter of an oval. The site is adjacent to Favour
Royal forest.
The area to the west of the junction is now occupied by a house,
walled yard and garden. Formerly a small school house. In the
garden east of the house is a small depression. There is nothing
visible which corresponds with the 3rd edition O.S. map enclosure.
The
house and yard lie on a very slight rise to the south of a level
curved area before land rises again to the north but this may
be natural. It could just be very eroded enclosure.
Classification N/A
Area of Interest N/A
Distance 500m W
SMR
No. TY059:050
Townland Derrymeen
Barony Not Indicated
Site Type Rath
NGR H 6061 5292
Height O.D. 200 Feet OD
Description Substantial remains; located on a prominent hilltop
with good views. This appears to be a rath with a tree plantation
a little distance outside it. The site consists of an internal
26m by 22m enclosed bank and outer ditch. The bank is 5m wide,
1m high internally and 1.50m above the ditch which is 2m wide
and 0.20m deep. The tree-ring consists of a bank 3m wide, 1m high
internally and 1.20m above a outer ditch 1.50m wide ad 0.30m deep.
The rath and tree ring are separated by a berm 8m wide.
Classification C
Area of Interest 30m
Distance 650m NW
2.14.4.2 Desk study revealed no recorded archaeological sites within the forest site while there are five known archaeological sites in the immediate vicinity.
2.14.4.3
Stray finds
The Topographical Files of the National Museum of Ireland were
examined in which all stray finds are provenanced to townland.
The following is a list of the townlands within and in the environs
of Favour Royal forest.
Townland
Proximity to Forest
Favour Royal Demesne Within
Derrymeen To North
There are no stray finds recorded from the townland of Favour Royal in which the forest is located.
There
are no stray finds recorded from other adjacent and surrounding
townlands in the vicinity of Favour Royal forest site.
2.14.5
Predicted Impacts
The scale of works planned for this site will involve both clearfelling
and planting. Both of these processes are inherently destructive
with ground disturbances associated with the use of heavy machinery
(for tree removal) and preparation of the land for planting (with
the excavation of drainage ditches).
While the areas to be affected have been surveyed in an attempt at locating and identifying previously unknown archaeological sites, no new sites were revealed. However, it must be borne in mind that archaeological remains with little above ground surface expression may survive below the ground surface. Such features would only be revealed during earthmoving and ground preparation works where such archaeological sites would be directly compromised by these subsequent works. Please see the mitigations and recommendation section in volume 1 for suggested mitigations.
*Please note that it was not possible to reproduce figures for inclusion on the website version of the reports.