Crom Plantation Castle

17th Century Castle and Bawn

Crom Castle was built on the shore of Upper lough Erne in c.1611, by a Scottish undertaker, Michael Balfour, the Laird of Mountwhinney. His younger brother James, 1st Baron Balfour of Glenawley, built Castle Balfour, Lisnaskea in c.1618-1622. The castle was held by Sir Stephen Butler in 1619. In 1624 the castle was leased to Dr James Spottiwood who had been consecrated Bishop of Clogher in 1621. The leasehold was acquired by his daughter Mary and her huband Abraham Creighton (Crichton) in 1644 following the death of the Bishop. After being besieged on a number of occasions in the 1700s, during the Civil War, the Castle at Crom was finally destroyed by fire in 1764. The new castle at Crom was built in 1838.

In the image above the highest wall, with what looks like a window opening, is the north wall of the castle with a cylindrical tower at the north-east corner and part of a rectangular tower, now covered in ivy, at the north-west. In the foreground are the foundations of the south-east tower. An 18 metre square bawn, with 3.6 metre high walls and two corner towers, was attached to the castle sometime in the 18th century, it appears there was no bawn attached to the original castle.