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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Graveyard

Killegy Lower, County Kerry, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Graveyard, Killegy Lower, County Kerry, 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
Killegy Lower
County
Kerry
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
NULL
Latest-edition OS map
Grave Yd.
Coordinates
52.02877, -9.48648
SMR number
KE066-082004-

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)
  • 1868 · 4. Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (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

In pasture, on top of a hillock. The graveyard is an oval area (c. 95m NW-SE; c. 70m NE-SW) defined by a narrow fosse (Wth c. 2m; D c. 1.5m) cut into the hillside with stone facing on its internal face. There is a causeway entrance (Wth c. 9m) at SE, with wrought iron double gates. The fosse appears to be a recent feature. This is the burial place of the Herberts and Rose Vincents, families associated with Muckross House. An imitation High Cross, named 'monument' on the 1895 OS 6-inch map marks the burial place of Hernry Arthur Herbert who founded Muckross House. Large chest-tombs occupy most of the central area which is covered in bushes. Low uninscribed grave-markers occupy most of the SE area. The site of a church (KE066-082001-) is in the SW area and was possibly rebuilt as a family mortuary (KE066-082003-). According to Barrington (1976, 206), the German author Rudolph Raspe, was buried here in 1794 but the location of the grave is not known.
A rectangular mortuary chapel (7.45m E-W; 4.88m N-S) is rebuilt on or near the site of an earlier church (KE066-082001-) in the SW quadrant of the graveyard. A segmental-arched door ope at the W end of the N wall with a single cut-limestone jamb to E is possibly from the earlier church. A central window in the E wall has an arched embrasure with moulded corners and a round-headed sandstone light (Wth 0.2m; H 0.53m). The chapel has a pointed vaulted plank-centred roof with a corbel support for the centring in the N and S walls. The tower-like W gable is ornately stepped and topped with a bellcote. A wall plaque in the chapel reads the 'family mortuary chapel by Maurice Hussey of Cahernane … 1714'. Skinner (1945, 6) suggests the remains of the old church was converted into a family mortuary. However the earlier church (KE066-082001-) is indicated on the 1848 OS 6-inch map as a cruciform church in the SW quadrant of the graveyard.

Compiled by: Elizabeth Byrne, Ursula Egan and Sheila Ronan, Archaeological Survey Unit, University College, Cork.

Date of upload: 31 January 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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