Killua Castle

Killua Castle,[1] and the nearby Raleigh Obelisk, are situated near Clonmellon, County Westmeath, Ireland.

[2] Killua Castle and its surrounding lands were granted around 1667 to Benjamin Chapman, a captain in Cromwell's army, having been confiscated from the Knights Hospitallers of St John.

The present structure was built in 1780 by Sir Benjamin Chapman, 1st Baronet after demolishing the original castle.

Montagu Richard died childless in 1907 and his widow, a cousin, divided the estate between the four legitimate daughters of her brother Sir Thomas Chapman, 7th Baronet the father of T. E. Lawrence of Arabia.

[citation needed] However, it is uncertain who is initially responsible of the first potato plantation in Ireland, even though Raleigh is frequently credited with this milestone in Irish history.

Sir Walter Raleigh Plaque, erected by Sir Thoman Chapman, 1810 (the "G" is probably vandalism).
Sir Walter Raleigh Commemoration Obelisk, erected by the Chapmans in 1810