Tomb - chest tomb

The National Monuments Service's description

At St Mary's parish church (KK019-026115-) in Kilkenny. In-situ late 16th-century chest tomb (L 2.83m; Wth 0.86m; H (as exposed) 0.53m), composed of fossiliferous limestone, set into a 13th-century tomb niche in the W of the N wall of the N transept of the church. Uncovered, sealed beneath late 18th century floor level in 2015 excavations at St. Mary's Church (Ó Drisceoil 2019; 2020, 169). When found the top slab had been absent but this had been previously visible in 1812 when drawn by George Miller (Miller and Robertson Collection (RSAI library), 6/7) and partially uncovered when flooring and galleries were being removed in 1876 (Kilkenny Moderator 9.8.1876; Carrigan 1905, Vol. 3, 95). The tomb was enclosed by a low retaining wall at this time, and this was used, probably in around 1921-2, to hide a rifle and shotgun (on display at the Medieval Mile Museum). The cover slab/mensa had been embedded in the 'Monuments Room' floor of the N transept in the 1960s and was replaced in its original position in 2015. The limestone paving of the predella on which the tomb of Richard Rothe FitzEdward (d. 1637) rests abuts against the front panel of the tomb, obscuring its lower c. 0.2m. 
The mensa is decorated in false relief with an eight-armed segmental cross-head with stylised fleur-de-lis terminals. The cross-head rises from a shaft which in turn, rises from a stepped base. The shaft is flanked on either side by streamers, which are inscribed. At the top of the shaft is a plain knob. A Latin black letter marginal inscription carved in false relief reads:
HIC. JACET. JOANNES. 
ROTHE. ROBARTI. FILIUS. QUONDA[M]. BURGENSIS. OPPIDI. KILKENIENSIS. QUI.
OBIIT. XXIX. DIE. MENSIS. SEPTEMBRIS. A.D. 1590. 
ET. LETITIA. ROTHE. EIUS. UXOR. QE. OBIIT. XXVI. DIE. MARTII. A°D, 1602
It translates as, Here lies John Rothes one of Robert [Rothe] once burgess of this town of Kilkenny who died 29th day of the month of September An dn 1590
Letitia Roth his wife died 26th day March Ad. 1602 
The right (E) side panel is blank. The left (W) side panel is blank, presumably because it would not have been visible. The right side panel has a large IHS monogram carved in false relief, embellished with an interlace flourish. The front (S) panel shows instruments of the passion in low relief. From left to right these are a leaning simple Latin cross surrounded by a flagellation whip of knotted cord. To the right is the upright spear of Longinus and the vessel containing vinegar and gall on the pole. Next to it is a large image of the sacred heart of Christ pierced by a crown of thorns. To the extreme right lies the seamless robe of Christ and the vessel used to cast lots. Based on stylistic comparisons with signed works by the Kerin tomb carvers (see Phelan 1996), this monument can probably be attributed to their school of monumental sculptors. Two circular iron handles have been inserted into the frontal.

Compiled by: Cóilín Ó Drisceoil

Date of upload: 4 January 2023

References

Phelan, M. 1996 The O'Kerin School of Monumental Sculpture in Ossory and Its Environs in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 126, 167-181. Ó Drisceoil, C. 2019 Excavations at St. Mary's Church and Church Lane, Kilkenny 12E0314. Unpublished final report for Kilkenny Archaeology. Ó Drisceoil, C. 2020 ‘Yet notin is more certaine than death, nor uncertaine, than the houre theirof': excavations in the chantry chapels of St. Mary's church, Kilkenny’, in C. Corlett and M. Potterton (eds.), The Town in Medieval Ireland in the light of recent archaeological excavations, 161-84. Bray. Wordwell. Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.