ardglass jordan s and cowd castle

Ardglass contains more medieval tower-houses than any other town in Ireland, reflecting its importance as Ulster's busiest port in the 15th century. Jordan's Castle was probably built in the 15th century and, like others of its kind, was a fortified family residence, owned, in this instance, by the Jordan family. Simon Jordan is celebrated for having defended the castle for three years during the Tyrone Rebellion until relieved by the Lord Deputy, Mountjoy, in 1601. Jordan's Castle is a good three-storey tower with attic floor above, and with the north door protected by projecting towers joined, high up, by an arch. The Belfast solicitor Francis Joseph Bigger, who bought the castle in 1911, restored it and subsequently bequeathed it to the State. Smaller in scale is another of the Ardglass towers in State care: Cowd Castle, 100 yards to the south-east, which has tow floors and an attic, both with floors of wood. It stands in the grounds of a golf course, whose club house preserves substantial remains of 15th century warehouses.