Graveslab

The National Monuments Service's description

Lying on the floor in the NW angle of a 19th-century C of I church which was built on the former chancel of the 13th-century church of St Mary’s (KK020-060006-) in Gowran. A tapering slab (L 1.76m; Wth midway 0.47m including chamfer; total Wth at base 0.42 including chamfer; 0.34m above chamfer; D 0.21m) which is broken across the middle of the slab (upper portion L 0.76m; Wth 0.44m; lower portion L 1m; Wth 0.47m tapering to 0.42m) below the knop. The dexter side of the slab is cracked and damaged in places. The upper portion of the slab is particularly badly damaged, with the edge completely broken away. The slab is decorated with an incised eight-arm interlaced cross below which there is a fleur-de-lis above a barred knop with rounded ends. The cross-shaft terminates with a similar, though slightly smaller barred knop and a large fleur-de-lis. In all cases the fleur-de-lis is more rounded than pointed. There upper edge of the slab has a slightly hollow chamfer (Wth 0.07m). There is an incised inscription in Lombardic script along the sinister edge of the upper surface of the slab. It is transcribed by Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 405) as, ‘HIC JACET MAURICI CAS’ and translated as, ‘Here lies Maurice Cas’. Stylistically this dates to the 13th/14th century.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 19 August 2019

References

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