Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Located towards the top of a S and E-facing slope. This parish was part of the large parish of Skreen that Adam de Feipo, Baron of Skreen, endowed his brother Thomas with c. 1175 and which passed into the possession of the Cistercian abbey of St Mary’s in Dublin (DU018-020048-) when Thomas joined them c. 1186 (Hickey 1952). The village of Monketon with the rectory or post of parish priest was amongst the possessions of St Mary’s at the Suppression of what was probably the richest Cistercian monastery in Ireland in 1540 (White 1943, 17). Ussher (1622) describes the church and chancel as in reasonable repair (Erlington 1847-64, 1, lxxviii). Dopping (1682-5) merely says that the chapel belonged to the monastery (Ellision 1972, 8).
The parish church of Monktown is within a rectangular graveyard (dims c. 45m E-W; c. 40m N-S) defined by earthen banks (Wth c. 5m; int. H 0.2-0.4m normally to 1.5m at W (uphill); ext. H c. 1-1.5m) retained by external masonry walls on all sides except the E where there is a scarp (H 1.5m) and the graveyard has been extended (dim. c. 30m E-W) to reach a S-N access lane. The headstones in the old graveyard date from c. 1775.
The divided nave (int. dims 9.35m E-W; 5.53m N-S) and chancel (int. dims 8.8m E-W; 4.2m N-S) church is represented by the base of the W wall of the nave (H 0.5m) and drystone walls and shrubbery on the lines of the N and S walls. The foundations of the N and S chancel walls, with a modern entrance gap (Wth 1.5m) in the S wall, are present. The E wall of the chancel has a reconstructed two-light window (Wth 0.95m; H 1.38m) with a rather flat apex, from which the tracery has been removed.

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: 24 January 2015

References

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.

White, N.B. 1943 Extents of Irish monastic possessions, 1540-1541. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Erlington, C. R. (ed.) 1847-64 The whole works of the most Reverend James Ussher. 17 vols. Hodges and Smith, Dublin

Hickey, E. 1952 St Mary's Abbey and the church at Skryne. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 52, 145-50.