Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Church
Abbeytown, County Galway, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Abbeytown
- County
- Galway
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Abbey in ruins
- Latest-edition OS map
- Abbey (in Ruins)
- Coordinates
- 53.50138, -9.05101
- SMR number
- GA042-001002-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1753 map "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1753 · Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Within a probable early ecclesiastical enclosure (GA042-001001-). According to Grattan-Flood (quoted in Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 204-5), this was a dependant house of the Premonstratensian abbey at Annaghdown (GA069-001001-), founded 'in 1260 ... on the site of an earlier Celtic mon[astery]' (see also Higgins and McHugh 1990, 2-7, 68-9). The visible remains comprise a long but poorly preserved rectangular building (E-W; L c. 28.4m, Wth c. 5.9m) which occupies N side of the modern rectangular graveyard. Only its E gable, a stretch of N wall and a fragment at SE corner survive to full height. Excavations by Higgins and Mc Hugh (ibid., 21-65) in the late 1980s identified 'four main phases' (ibid., 25) ranging from the 13th to 17th C. Remains of the original doorway, of 13th-C date, were located towards W end of N wall. This was replaced by a W doorway in the 15-16th C, when W gable appears to have been rebuilt (ibid., 37-40). The foundations of two 'buildings', probably of 17th-C date, were also uncovered about mid-point along N wall (ibid., 22-6). The larger, interpreted as 'a north transept' (N-S c. 7.3m, E-W c. 5.1m), was abutted on E side by a possible 'sacristy' (N-S c. 4.9m, E-W c. 3.5m). The existence of two small windows in the surviving fabric at SW corner (ibid., 26-7, 65) indicate that there was once two storeys at this end. There is a small rectangular single-light window, of 17th-C date, in the surviving section of N wall, and another set off-centre in E gable. Their positioning and the striking basal plinth of E gable suggest that in its latest phase(s), this may have been a secular building rather than a church. Traces of walls were also noted in SW part of the graveyard. The finds included a number of medieval querns and graveslabs. (Nolan 1901b, 123; O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 160)
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999).
Date of upload: 05 August 2010
Nearby in the register
- Graveslabunder 1 mi
- Ecclesiastical enclosureunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Field systemunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.