Tomb - effigial

The National Monuments Service's description

Lying prostrate in the SE 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 limestone effigy of a knight (L 1.65m; Wth at top 0.62m; Wth at base 0.5m; T 0.2m) whose head, upper body and sword are carved in raised relief. The slab is defined around by a roll-moulding and the edge of the slab is chamfered (Wth 0.06m). The upper portion and a section of the lower portion survives, the mid portion and base are missing.
The figure is described by Hunt (1974, vol. 1, 168), the head rests on, ‘a rectangular cushion with tassels at the points, and rosettes on either side of the head. He wears a surcoat and the large bulbous head represents a mail coif. A floriated cross in high relief lies upon his breast and runs down the stone’. Hunt dates the effigy to the 13th or early 14th century (ibid.).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 14 August 2019

References

Hunt, J. 1974 Irish medieval figure sculpture 1200-1600, 2 vols. Dublin. Irish University Press.