Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Graveyard
Bayswell, County Kilkenny, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Bayswell
- County
- Kilkenny
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Grave Yard
- Latest-edition OS map
- Grave Yard
- Coordinates
- 52.76435, -7.62097
- SMR number
- KK008-066002-
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
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
On the summit of a N-S ridge overlooking lower land to the E and W, in rolling pasture. A rectangular graveyard (dims. 26.5m N-S; L of N wall 28.9m; L of S wall 21m) with a church (KK008-066001-) aligned E-W in the NW angle of the graveyard. The graveyard wall runs up to the N end of the E gable and the W end of the S wall. According to the OS Letters (1839) the church is known as 'Teampall na Ratha' or the church of the rath, probably in reference to the ringfort (KK008-142----) 30m N of the church (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 116-17 (39)). At time of inspection in 1987 the graveyard was heavily overgrown with vegetation. On the 1st (1839) 6-inch OS map the graveyard is delineated by a dashed line, which suggests that the boundary wall had not been built. It was noted during the field inspection that the remains of an earthen bank (Wth 2m; H c. 0.5m) continues westward on the line of the S wall for 14m before turning at right angles northward (Wth 2m; H 0.2-0.3m) for c. 53m and similarly on the N side, an earthen bank (Wth 2m; H 0.2m) runs for 21m N of the N graveyard wall. Moore (1874-9, vol. 1, 38) mentions that in, 'the graveyard of Rath - now not much used - are two fragments of a Baptismal font [KK008-006003-]', also within the graveyard Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 300-302) describes, 'three o[r] four inscribed monuments of late date' as well as a graveslab (KK008-006004-), none of which were visible at time of inspection. Carrigan (ibid.) also mentions that, 'Within the churchyard wall there is also a great leacht [KK008-066005-] or monumental heap of loose stones, but tradition is silent as to its origin'.
Compiled by: Jean Farrelly
Date of upload: 24 October 2017
References
Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.
O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1930 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Kilkenny collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Bray.
Moore, Very Rev. Canon 1874-9 Parochial papers. Transactions of the Ossory Archaeological Society 1, 23-40, 45.
Nearby in the register
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.