It was built in the early sixteenth century by Richard Nugent, the 12th Baron Delvin. He had a sinister reputation and was said to be ill-tempered and cruel, possibly giving rise to his nickname, the Black Baron. One story that demonstrates his evil nature concerns the nearby village of Ross. It all started when a local woman placed a freshly baked loaf of bread on the windowsill of her cottage to cool. A passing dog saw this as a free meal, grabbed the loaf and ran off with it. The woman saw what had happened and yelled out of the open window, ‘Stop thief!’ The dog dropped the loaf and headed for safety. A beggar was passing through the village as this was going on. It was a warm day and he felt a little tired, so he decided to rest under the shade of a tree. The baron and his entourage were out hunting along the shores of the lake. When he heard the story of the bread thief, he became angry as he felt any crime reflected on his position as a lord of the realm. Unfortunately for the beggar, the baron rode into the village to question the woman about the theft and spotted the beggar sleeping under the tree.
