Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Church
Danestown, County Meath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Danestown
- County
- Meath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Ruin
- Latest-edition OS map
- Church (in Ruins)
- Coordinates
- 53.62338, -6.52401
- SMR number
- ME032-008----
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
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1799 "Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Located on a slight rise of a S-facing slope near the W head of a small W-E valley. A church at Daveney is listed in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-06) of Pope Nicholas IV (Cal. doc. Ire. 5, 255). Ussher (1622) describes the church of Danistowne as repaired and the chancel as ruined (Erlington 1847-74, 1, lxxv). According to Dopping (1682-5) the church and chancel had been ruined since 1641 and it was not enclosed (Elliot 1972, 59). The conserved remains of part of the S wall (L c. 3m; H 2m), and parts of the W and N walls indicate a rectangular building (int. dims 10m plus E-W; 5.7m N-S) within a subrectangular graveyard (dims c. 65m NE-SW; c. 30m NW-SE at NE to c. 48m NE-SW at SW) defined by a stone-faced earthen bank (Wth c. 4-5m). The inscriptions of many of the headstones have been published (Moore et al. 1974). Three pieces of window sill are used as grave-markers, and the head of an ogee-headed window and pieces of window tracery are in the graveyard. Inside the entrance on the N side of the graveyard and secured to the masonry of the bank there is part of the bottom of the basin of an octagonal font (dim. 0.3m; H 0.25m) and part of its waisted stem (dim. 0.32m; H 0.17m) with a cordon. The perimeter of Danestown rath (ME032-007----) is c. 15m outside the graveyard to the NE.
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of revision: 23 January 2015
References
Cal. doc. Ire. - Calendar of documents relating to Ireland 1171-1307, ed. H.S. Sweetman (5 vols., London, 1875-86).
Ellison, Rev. C. C. 1971-5 Bishop Dopping's Visitation Book 1682-5, Ríocht na Mídhe, 5, 1, 28-39; 5, 2, 3-13; 5, 3, 3-11; 5, 4, 98-103; 6, 1, 3-13.
Moore, B.F.E., Cawkill, F., and Cawkill, J. 1974 Some interesting tombstones in Danestown, Co. Meath. Ríocht na Mídhe, 5, 4, 87-97.
Erlington, C. R. (ed.) 1847-64 The whole works of the most Reverend James Ussher. 17 vols. Hodges and Smith, Dublin
Nearby in the register
- Fontunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.