Wardtown Castle

Wardtown Castle, County Donegal
Photo © Kenneth Allen, 30 July 2009

This was a "landlord's house"; when the rates were abolished the house came into dis-repair after funds were not available for its upkeep, and its demise was accelerated by the fact that the roofing materials were removed by the poor tenants. The dwelling was occupied by Henry Folliott in the early 1600's. He was created Baron Folliott, of Ballyshannon, in the Peerage of Ireland on 22 January 1620.

Henry Folliott, 1st Baron Folliott (1568 – 10 November 1622) was the second son of Thomas Folliott of Pirton Court, Pirton, Worcestershire.From about 1594 he served the Crown in Ireland and in 1603 was commissioned to develop a township adjacent to Ballyshannon Castle. The Borough of Ballyshannon was incorporated in 1613. He was created Baron Folliott, of Ballyshannon, in the Peerage of Ireland on 22 January 1620.He acquired salmon fisheries and over 3,000 acres (12 km2) of land in Co. Donegal. His residence was Wardtown Castle, Ballymacaward, Co. Donegal. He married Anne Strode of Somerset and had seven children.

At the close of 1739 this country was visited with a frost of extraordinary length and severity. It extended into the year 1740, lasting in all 108 days. A period of great scarcity and distress succeeded, and it was at that time that General Folliott the owner of Wardtown, decided to build Wardtown Castle, thereby giving employment to the distressed classes of the neighbourhood. The remuneration they received during the progress of the work was sixpence per day and their food. Considering the value of money in those days, this was a liberal allowance. Before the erection of Wardtown Castle, the Folliott family had a residence on their property there. General Folliott, the builder of Wardtown Castle, was an ancestor of the present Colonel John Folliott, of Holybrook House, Co. Sligo, who still holds a portion of the lands of the old barons of Ballyshannon, and is descended from the same stock.

Reference

Ballyshannon : its History and Antiquities by Hugh Allingham. 1879.