1797 Antique Print Mellifont Castle Louth

1797 Antique Print a copper plate engraving of Mellifont Castle County Louth. The prints are part of a larger set on Ireland, published by Hooper & Wigstead in London. After drawings by Francis Grose, dated 1794, the print was not published until 1797 Prints is in very good condition for age, light markings and foxing. Print area is 7 by 5 inches, paper area 10 1/2 by 8 inches. Mellifont Castle refers to the fortified manor house constructed on the grounds of Mellifont Abbey following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. Granted to Sir Edward Moore in 1566, the medieval Cistercian monastery was repurposed into a defensive Elizabethan mansion, incorporating stone from the original 12th-century abbey complex. Situated along the River Mattock near Drogheda, the site retained strategic military importance throughout the early modern period. In 1603, the castle served as the backdrop for the signing of the historic Treaty of Mellifont, where Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, submitted to the English Crown, concluding the Nine Years’ War. Later, during the 1690 Battle of the Boyne, William of Orange utilized the castle as his military headquarters. By the 18th century, the Moore family relocated to Moore Abbey in County Kildare, leading to the gradual decay and partial stone quarrying of the structure. This antique print illustrates the surviving fortified ruins, depicting the unique post-Reformation conversion of Cistercian monastic architecture into a Tudor-era castle. Postage €7, free shipping on orders over €75, view more prints at anticogallery.com