Church

The National Monuments Service's description

The medieval parish church of Rathangan dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary is mentioned in 1297 when there is a reference to ‘Ricard [Richard], vicar of the church of Rathymegan [Rathangan]’ (Cal. justic. rolls, Ire. Edw. I, 173). In 1299 a receipt of the chattels of Nicholas de Clere included a receipt for the sum of 40s. from‘John Punchardon, of issues of the church of Rathfingan [Rathangan], for the same, by Nicholas Donhevet’ (Cal. doc. Ire., 317). The ecclesiastical taxation of 1302-06 lists ‘Rathemegan’ [Rathangan] as a prebend of the diocese of Kildare, valued at 40 marks, while the vicarage was valued at 30s. (Cal. doc. Ire., 244). In 1401, the prebend of Rathangan was reserved for one Donald O’Connallam or O’Connolan (Cal. papal letters, 344). In 1427 Richard Ohywelayn [Ó Hialáin, O’Heelan, Heelan, Hyland] received the prebend of ‘Rachungayn’ [Rathangan] (Anon. 1913, 43-4). In 1580 Fr. Nicholas Eustace served at Rathangan as chaplain to the Countess of Kildare (Brady 1948, 229-30). In 1584 John Dalye, rector of Rathangan was charged with simony (Nicholls 1994, 626). The church had fallen into disrepair by 1744 when Robert, earl of Kildare left £200 in his will for rebuilding the church (FitzGerald 1906-8, 158). Bradley (1986, 417-8) recorded that the present C of I church dates from the 19th century with no pre-1700 memorials or monuments visible, He noted that the ground immediately top the E of the C of I church was higher than elsewhere in the graveyard which could suggest a possible location for the medieval parish church.
19th century C of I church standing in W quadrant of graveyard (KD017-011007-) probably located on site of medieval church. Punch-dressed stone corbel (KD017-011008-) from medieval church reused as gravemarker a few metres E of NE angle of C of I church.

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 4 March 2016

References

Bradley, J., Halpin, A., and King, H.A. 1986 Urban Archaeological Survey - County Kildare (4 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Cal. justic. rolls, Ire. Edw. I - Calendar of the justiciary rolls, or proceedings in the court of the justiciar of Ireland preserved in the Public Record Office of Ireland. 1: 23-31 Edw. I, 1295-1307; 2: 33-35 Edw. I, 1305-7, ed. J. Mills (2 vols., Dublin, 1905, 1914)

Cal. papal letters - Calendar of entries in the papal registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: papal letters, 1198-1484 [etc.] (London, 1893-)

Nicholls, K.W. (ed.) 1994 The Irish fiants of the Tudor sovereigns during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Philip & Mary, and Elizabeth I, 4 vols. Dublin. Éamonn de Búrca for Edmund Burke Publisher.

Cal. doc. Ire. - Calendar of documents relating to Ireland 1171-1307, ed. H.S. Sweetman (5 vols., London, 1875-86).

FitzGerald, Lord W. 1906-8 Rathangan. Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society 5, 137-63.

Brady, J. 1948 Some Irish scholars of the sixteenth century. Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review 37, 226-31.

Anon. 1913 Obligationes pro Annatis Diocesis Dublinensis, 1421-1520. Archivium Hibernicum 2, 1-37; 39-72.