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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Graveyard

Abbeyland (Clane ED), County Kildare, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Graveyard, Abbeyland, County Kildare, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Abbeyland (Clane ED)
County
Kildare
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
G. Yd.
Coordinates
53.28908, -6.68293
SMR number
KD014-026012-

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1799 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1830 · V.3:11-15:XV. Britisches Reich. C. Kon: Ireland. a. Prov: Leinster. Counties: 1-12 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

An almost square area (dims. L c. 60m N-S; Wth c. 60m E-W) located between the Early Christian monastic foundation of 'Cluain Damh' (KD014-026017-) c. 160m to the NNW and a motte (KD014-026004-) c. 180m to the SSW and containing 'Clane Abbey' (KD014-026005-), a 13th century Franciscan Friary. Burials are concentrated to the S of the friary ruins.
In 1999, archaeological test-trenching (Excavation Licence No. 99E0386: www.excavations.ie), informed by previous geophysical investigations of a rectangular area (dims. L 40m; Wth 40m) N of the graveyard (KD014-026011-), confirmed the presence and extent of subsurface wall-features and suggested they were associated with the upstanding remains of the friary. Additional walls were also discovered to the S and SW of the graveyard and a number of burials were found outside, to the N, S and W, of the graveyard boundary walls. A gravelled surface, uncovered to the SW of the graveyard, may be the remains of a road (or street?), identified previously from aerial photographs. A stone-built 'tunnel' with an arched roof, running SW from the SE corner of the graveyard was also discovered (dims. L 8.8m NE-SW; Wth 1.2m; H above fill on floor 0.85m). This structure had been truncated by a modern sewerage pipe, and while not representative of classic souterrain construction methods, the excavator suggested it was possibly a passage leading to a souterrain chamber. Sherds of medieval pottery, fragments of roof tiles and fragments of decorated floor tiles, all of which were probably related to the friary, were also found.

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy

Date of upload: 10 June 2011

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
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