Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Leek Old Church: The ivy-covered ruins are essentially a 17th century alteration of a medieval church. This was carried out c. 1622 (Royal Commission, 212). Further repairs were carried out 1729-33 and it continued in use until a new parish church was built c. 1840 (Leslie 1940, 103). The slated roof was still intact when Fagan described the ruins in 1845 (Bk 6, 1-2). The rectangular rubble-built church, c. 18.9m by 5.45m internally, has punch-dressed ashlar quoins. The walls stand to full height and the W gable is surmounted by a bellcote. The splayed ingoings and rear-arch of the large E window are ivy-covered. There is a wall-press at the E end of the S wall. In the exterior face are the chamfered E jamb and sill of a narrow medieval single-light window. The W jamb was removed when a larger window with splayed ingoings was broken through the wall; it is now blocked up. The surviving lower sections of splayed ingoings indicate that the two other windows in the S wall were of a similar size, but were subsequently enlarged to their present size; the heads and rear-arches have fallen away. The door at the W end of the S wall has a segment-headed rear-arch and the jambs are set back for a timber frame. The window in the W gable had a rectangular wooden frame; it has a segment-headed rear-arch. The two eastern-most of the three windows in the N wall are blocked up; all are missing their heads and rear-arches. Traces of two coats of plaster survive on the interior wall- faces of the church and the exterior was harled. A rubble block at the foot of the exterior face of the W gable retains the grooved outline of three crosses (DG053-033005-).
The church (DG053-033001-) is situated inside a graveyard (DG053-033004-), which is still in use. Outside the E wall of the graveyard beside a stream, is a boulder (DG053-033003-) .75m × 0.5m × 0.35m. This has a basin .2m in diameter and 0.13m deep. A thorn tree beside the boulder was decorated with rags when the site was visited. There is no trace of the 'holy well' (DG053-033002-) marked near the boulder on the OS 6-inch maps. The site is located on good land close to a sharp bend in the River Swilly.

The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Date of upload: 22 September 2008