Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Church
Ballinamore, County Longford, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Ballinamore
- County
- Longford
- Country
- Ireland
- Latest-edition OS map
- Chapel (in Ruins)
- Coordinates
- 53.65887, -7.83865
- SMR number
- LF018-039----
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
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
On a SSE-facing slope in pasture, within a graveyard (LF018-039001-). Ballinamore Castle (LF018-038001-), the residence of the Brown family, is c. 440m to the NW. This may be the church described in the terrier of the Down Survey (1655-6) map of 'Ballicormacke' parish as the 'Old Church much Ruined' (NLI MS 713). Described by Cochrane (1913, vol. 8, 118) as measuring 'about 40ft. [c. 12.2m] long and 17ft. [c. 5.2m] wide. It is surrounded by a ring fence, mound, and ditch, about 100ft. [c. 30m] in diameter. The west wall of the church has completely fallen, and the remaining walls are from 3 [c. 0.9m] to 8ft. [c. 2.4m] high. The space south of the church has been used for burials. There are no architectural features to be seen'.
This much-ruined church (ext. dims. 15.95m E-W; 8.35m N-S; wall T 0.85m), or private chapel of the Brown family, is constructed of limestone rubble with undressed alternating quoins. The W third of it has collapsed. The only architectural feature is the remains of a broken-out window in the E gable. A wall monument (LF018-039003-), which bears a mid-17th-century inscription and is dedicated to Sir Richard Brown and his wife Lady Mary Plunkett, is built into the E end of the internal face of the S wall. Directly opposite it in the N wall is a memorial stone, probably of 18th century date, that reads: ‘This ruin was renovated/and preserved by Fr. Dowell/for over 70 years (Lennon 2005). (Wilson 1892, 291-2; Ó Cianáin 1935, 46-75)
Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload: 4 June 2013
Nearby in the register
- Wall monumentunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- House - fortified houseunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.