Children's burial ground

The National Monuments Service's description

This burial ground is named ‘Kilnabasty Grave Yard’ on the 1st ed. OS 6-inch map (surveyed 1838) and ‘Kilnabasty Children’s Burial Ground’ on the most recent edition of the 6-inch map. It is situated in rough pastureland at the W edge of a large field. It consists of a roughly D-shaped area (37m N-S; 24m E-W) defined by a modern field boundary at W and a low rubble wall foundations on the remaining sides. A break in this remnant enclosure wall suggests an entrance on the E side. Within the interior, numerous small rough grave-markers in the form of earth-fast fieldstones set on end indicate graves aligned E-W. A mature hawthorn tree grows near the centre. According to local tradition, an adult male was buried here on one occasion and that it was in use as a burial place for unbaptised children until about 100 years ago. It has been suggested that this site served as the burial ground for Loughrea’s medieval leper hospital (GA105-202----) (O’Sullivan 2009, 21-2). A test-pit was excavated adjacent to the burial ground to allow a commemorative sculpture to be erected at the site. This stone was erected in 2007 and the inscription reads: ST LAURENCE’S FIELDS OF THE INNOCENTS / THIS STONE WAS ERECETED IN 2007 IN MEMORY OF THE UNRECORDED GENERATIONS OF INFANTS WHO WERE BURIED AT THIS PLACE FROM MEDIEVAL TIMES UNTIL THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY. Nothing was found in the test-pit (O’Sullivan 2009, 20-1). (OSL Co. Galway, Vol. 2, 87)

Compiled by: Paul Walsh

Date of upload: 24 June 2013

References

OSL - Ordnance Survey Letters. Letters written by members of the Ordnance Survey's 'Topographical Department' (T. O'Conor, A. O'Curry, E. Curry, J. O'Donovan and P. O'Keeffe) sent to headquarters from the field (1834-41). MSS in Royal Irish Academy.

O'Sullivan, J. 2009 A note on a killeen burial ground in St Lauerencesfields and the lepers of Loughrea. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 61, 16-23.