Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on grassland 380m S of the River Shannon. St. Margaret’s Church was described in 1840 as following; ‘The walls are perfect with the exception of the upper part of the west gable. It is 56½ feet [17.15m] long by 22 ½ ft. [6.85m] in breadth. There is a window on the E gable 9 ft. high [2.75m] by 4½ ft. [1.35m] inside having a round arch of cut limestone. On the outside it consists of two parts, in the pointed style; here it is 8 ft. [2.43m] from the ground 5 ft. 8 in. [1.72m] high by 1 ft. 7in. [0.5m], each division being 7 inches [0.17m] in width. On this side also it is formed of cut limestone. On the S side wall, at the distance of 6 ft. [1.8m] from the east end there was a window the form of which is now destroyed. The doorway, which is on this wall, is 13 ft. 10 in. [4.21m] from the west gable; its form has been destroyed by the ravages of time. On the north wall there was another door-way which is also now disfigured. On this N wall at the distance of 8½ [2.5m] feet from the east gable there was a window, which has also lost its form. The walls are about 12 ft. [3.65m] high, 3½ ft. [1.1m] in thickness, and built of regular sized stones, not quarried irregularly laid, with sand and lime mortar. Still-born children only are interred here at present‘ (OSL Vol. 2, 135-6).
Begley (1906, 254) recorded the following about this church; 'The chapel of St. Margaret, Newtown, near Carrigogunnell. This church belonged to the Hospitallers of Ainey. In a grant made of this preceptory to Thomas Browne in 1605, it is given as "Newtown near Adare."
The townland is often mentioned in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries in the Pipe Rolls. The ruin is near the Shannon, and measures fifty-six and one-half feet long by twenty-two and a-half wide. It is in a fair state of preservation, but appears to have been never used as a burial-ground'.
Westropp (1904-5, 369) recorded the following details about Newtown parish; 'Neweton in Esclon," or 'de Esclon," 1283, held by Simon Waleys and W. Lucas (Pipe Roll,xi Ed. I., Ho. 14) in 1315 (Plea Rolls); "St. Margaret's Church, of Newtown, near Carrigogunnell," 1410; bailenua, 1502 (A.F.M.)'

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 1 October 2018

References

Westropp, T.J. 1904-5 A survey of the ancient churches of Co. Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 25C, 327-479.

OSL - Ordnance Survey Letters. Letters written by members of the Ordnance Survey's 'Topographical Department' (T. O'Conor, A. O'Curry, E. Curry, J. O'Donovan and P. O'Keeffe) sent to headquarters from the field (1834-41). MSS in Royal Irish Academy.

AFM - Annals of the kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters from the earliest period to the year 1616, ed. and trans. John O'Donovan (7 vols., Dublin, 1851; reprint New York, 1966)

Begley, J. 1906 The Diocese of Limerick ancient and medieval. Dublin.