Castle Roche (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: Dún Gall) is a Norman castle located some 10 km (7 miles) north-west of

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

, County Louth,

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 was the seat of the de Verdun family (also spelt de Verdon), who built the castle in 1236 AD. It is built upon a large rocky outcrop and commands extensive views of the surrounding country. Together with a deep moat, its strong walls rendered it virtually impregnable. A secret passage once connected the castle to a round tower outpost. St. Ronan's Well lies nearby.

History

The de Verdun family of Alton Castle, Staffordshire had a history in the region,

Bertram de Verdun Bertram de Verdun was the name of several members of the Norman family of de Verdun, native to the Avranchin. According to the historian Mark Hagger, the de Verdun family lived originally in Normandy where they held land, and after the Norman c ...

arriving as part of

John's first expedition to Ireland John's First Expedition to Ireland refers to a visit to the Island of Ireland by John Plantagenet as part of a campaign to secure the influence of the House of Plantagenet and the Crown of England, who planned to set up a Kingdom of Ireland with ...

. By 1185 he had erected a manor house at Castletown Mount and subsequently obtained the town's charter in 1189. Bertram's granddaughter Rohesia de Verdun from

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

, England was married to

Theobald le Botiller, 2nd Chief Butler of Ireland Theobald le Botiller, also known as Theobald Butler, 2nd Baron Butler (January 1200 – 19 July 1230) was the son of Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler and Maud le Vavasour. He had livery of his lands on 18 July 1222. Marriage and Childre ...

. After her husband’s sudden death whilst travelling in Poitou, France, she moved to her lands in Ireland. She immediately set about fortifying the land with a castle. A mythical legend tells a tall tale about how her quick tempered reputation deterred all potential architects; she offered her hand in marriage (and thereby a share in her wealth) to the man who would build the castle to her liking. The legend tells that after their wedding banquet in the newly completed castle, she invited her husband to the bridal suite and urged him to view their estate from the large bedroom window. Taking no chances with the castle’s secrets, she promptly pushed her new husband from the window, where he plummeted towards his death. The window was known thereafter as the Murder Window. Rohesia became a nun in Gracedieu Priory, Leicestershire, died there in 1247 and was buried in nearby Belton parish church where her effigy may be seen. Although it is generally accepted that Rohesia originally commissioned the castle, much of it is thought to have been added by her son by Theobald; John. History of the de Verdun family
"In Ireland, four and a half miles west of Dundalk, on an outcrop of rock, which rises steeply from the level, ground Rohesia built castle Roche. This building earned her the name amongst the Irish of Rois mhor ni ghairbhe Gaelic for Rohesia great lady of the rock. Much is thought to have been added by her son John but the main structure was constructed by 1236. Local tradition implies perhaps a darker side to Rohesia's character for it asserts that during the construction work she had a workman thrown from the west window of the castle". The name "Castle Roche" derives from its physical location - it was the castle of / on the 'Rock' ('roche' being old/Norman French for 'rock'). The site of the castle held a strategic position on the frontier between the (then) exclusively Gaelic province of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

, and the

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

territory known as

The Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...

and controlled the pass into what is now South Armagh. The de Verdun family held the site for many years. Nicholas de Verdun (who died in 1316), a younger brother of Theobald II de Verdun, was in charge during the Bruce Invasion by

Edward Bruce Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick ( Norman French: ; mga, Edubard a Briuis; Modern Scottish Gaelic: gd, Eideard or ; – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 st ...

, brother of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

. A hosting of all English forces in Ireland took place here in 1561 but the castle was finally laid to ruin in 1641, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

References

{{Historic Irish houses Castles in County Louth Tourist attractions in County Louth National Monuments in County Louth Buildings and structures in Dundalk