Hospital

The National Monuments Service's description

Located c. 50m NE of the former ‘Magdalan Gate’ at the E end of Gowran town, which is indicated on a 1710/11 map of Gowran (White). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 410) the hospital was, ‘just outside the town wall. About 1840 the remains of the chapel (KK020-060012-) attached to this Magdalen were removed and trees planted on the site. The exact spot occupied by the chapel is the angle formed by the public roads to Bagnalstown and Goresbridge, at their point of divergence opposite the pike house’.
Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 242, 410) gives an extract from a grant of 1578 to, ‘Sir Edm. Dowyre or Downye; of the custody, mastership and over-sight of the spittle houses or magdaleines of Leghlin and Balligawran, [now Gowran], for the relief of the poor leprous people dwelling in those places’. According to Sparks (1950, 44), ‘In the year 1604 a great plague broke out, from which a great many of the Gowran people died’.
During a thunderstorm in the 1960s/70s a number of trees were uprooted revealing skeletons underneath (pers. comm. Mary Moran, 6 July 1992). There is no visible trace of the hospital above ground.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 24 March 2021

References

Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.

White, J. 1710/11 A survey of the towne and lands of Gowrane in the County of Kilkenny belonging to Mr Lewis Chaigneau of Dublin merch[an]t made in the presence of Mr David Chaigneau Mr John Bayly Mr John Sandbeach Sam[ue]l Bingham James Quigly and Mr James White the surveyor; and the said lands contain arable pasture and meadow one thousand two hundred ninety seven acres thirty five perches plantation measure over and above all deductions for intermixt lands and common high roads as appeareth by a table of reference hereunto. Surveyed in the month of March 1710/11 by a scale of 20 p[er]chs. Ja: White. NLI MS map 21.F.55 (4).