Mallow Castle Collection at UCC

UCC Library Special Collections and Archives is delighted to announce the opening of the Maps and Plans Collection from the Mallow Castle Estate.

About Mallow Castle Estate:

Mallow Castle stands on about 33 acres of gardens and parkland at Deerpark, Mallow in County Cork, overlooking the Blackwater River. It holds a significant place in Irish history, with its origin tracing back to the 16th century. It started as a defensive structure during the reign of Elizabeth I, and the ensuring period of conflict and power struggles.  

 The castle's earliest known history dates to the 16th century when it was constructed by the Anglo-Norman family, the Desmonds. They were a powerful dynasty in the region and built Mallow Castle as a stronghold to assert their authority and protect their lands. The original castle comprised strong stone walls, towers, and battlements typical of defensive structures of the time. 

 Mallow Castle became a site of strategic importance during the Desmond Rebellions in the late 16th century. These conflicts between the Desmond family and the English crown greatly impacted the region, resulting in the destruction of many castles, including Mallow Castle. Despite this destruction, the castle was later rebuilt and passed into the hands of Sir John Norreys, Lord President of Munster, in 1584. 

 He then conveys Mallow to his brother, Sir Thoms Norreys, in 1586. Upon Sir Thomas’ death in battle in 1599; his heir is his daughter Elizabeth. 

 Elizabeth Norreys marries Major-General Sir John Jephson in 1607. They begin work to is replace the original FitzGerald castle with a fortified mansion. A few original leases and transcripts of title deeds from this period survive in the main Mallow Castle Archive. 

 During the 17th century, Mallow Castle changed hands multiple times because of the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and subsequent Cromwellian confiscations in the period of 1641-1653. During the Williamite wars, the castle was heavily damaged in fighting at Mallow Bridge in 1690, and Jephsons convert farm buildings into their new residence. Within the main Mallow Castle Archive are an almost unbroken series of leases from the Jephsons to tenants in Mallow from 1660s to 1960s.  

About the Maps and Plans Collection;

The Mallow Castle Maps and Plans Collection originates from the 19th and early 20th Century.  

Between 1813 and 1888, Sir Denham Jephson-Norreys took a personal interest in the building of houses for tenants, and public buildings in the town of Mallow, such as Spa House and the Clock House. The Mallow Castle Maps & Plans Collection includes many drawings and plans of these. The Collection also includes a detailed 1831 map of the town of Mallow.  

The many drawings and plans depicting the 19th Century rebuilding of Mallow Castle in Tudor style, largely to Sir Denham’s own designs, are also in the Collection. 

In the 20th Century, numerous surveys were carried out of both Mallow Town, and the countryside of North Cork. Early OS maps of the town are extant in the Collection, as well as numerous surveys of patches of land belonging to the Jephson Estate.  

Within the Castle itself, there were numerous renovations to the interior of the building to convert existing rooms, as well as the construction of heated glasshouses and farm buildings on the grounds. The details plan of these are all extant in the Collection. 

Accessing the Collection:

The collection can be browsed now on Foinse, UCC Library's website for our unique and distinct collections.  An appointment to view any of the collection can be made through the Special Collections and Archives webpage.