The Jealous Wall is a large 18th century

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

made from

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

located in the

Belvedere House and Gardens Belvedere House and Gardens () is a country house located approximately from Mullingar, County Westmeath in Ireland on the north-east shore of Lough Ennell. It was built in 1740 as a hunting lodge for Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere ...

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is notable for being the largest folly in Ireland. It was constructed by Robert Rochfort in 1760.

History

The folly, also known as a sham ruin, was completed in by

Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere PC (26 March 1708 – 13 November 1774) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. He became notorious for his abusive treatment of his second wife, Mary Molesworth. Early life He was the son of Rt. Hon. G ...

due to many factors including his brother, George's new mansion, Tudenham Park House being better than his Belvedere House, and his jealousy of his wife, Mary Molesworth. Around 1742, Rochfort suspected his wife of

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

with Robert's brother, Arthur. She was imprisoned in their family home, Gaulstown House with servants for over thirty years as Robert had lost his interest in her, and could not bear seeing her. Whilst divorce proceedings were being prepared, Arthur had fled the country. He returned years later, which resulted in Robert bringing a case against him, and he died at Marshalsea debtor's prison as he was unable to repay his debt of £20,000.

References

Folly buildings in the Republic of Ireland Buildings and structures in Mullingar Buildings and structures completed in 1760 {{Ireland-hist-stub