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Spenser’s bed was the focus of much mental and physical activity. He fathered at least 3 children, two of them (a son and a daughter) perhaps conceived in Ireland. A possible fourth child, a baby, was rumored to have died in the flames when Kilcolman…

A good place to put money or other precious objects in a tower house was on the top floor, because that would be the hardest place for an invader or thief to reach. The metal chest here is of the kind with elaborate locking mechanisms. The chest is…

Hunting was an aristocratic pursuit in Tudor England and Ireland, as well as an important source of meat and hides. Many estates in Ireland had deer parks dating back to the later middle ages (from the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 1170s-80s on…

Spenser had at least three children, two boys and a girl (see Tower House Bedroom: crib and fireplace). His second son, Peregrine, was born to Spenser’s second wife, Elizabeth Boyle, whom he married in 1594. Presuming that Peregrine was born in…

All homeowners need places to store their goods, including food and drink. The bottom floors of tower houses, often the dampest and coldest areas in the building, were typically used for storage. Timber was a key export from the Munster plantation,…

A mantle is a common type of heavy woolen cloak found in medieval and early modern Ireland. Fantastic, colorful and richly woven varieties are described in medieval Irish poetry. Elaborate and expensive mantles would have been worn by the rich and…

Many plantations and other estates had orchards for growing apples and other fruits. Examples of orchards recreated today according to early modern designs can be found at Barryscourt Castle, Co. Cork and also in the burgage plot (or backyard…

On the floor near the fireplace sits a bellows, for encouraging the fire. Spenser would likely have had a smithy on his Kilcolman estate, which would have employed similar tools. Iron-working debris predating Spenser’s occupation and presumably from…

Hunting was an aristocratic pursuit in Tudor England and Ireland, as well as an important source of meat and hides. Many estates in Ireland had deer parks dating back to the later middle ages (from the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 1170s-80s on…

On the table sit wooden plates. The household may have used pewter plates instead. Spenser would have had a good diet consisting of different kinds of meat, including deer, sheep, domestic and wildfowl, goat and (more rarely) pork; seafood; various…