Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Located towards the bottom of a S-facing slope. A church at Atherath in Scryne deanery is listed in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-06) of Pope Nicholas IV (Cal. doc. Ire. 5, 255), and this probably refers to Agher. Ussher (1622) describes the church and chancel at Agher as ruinous (Erlington 1847-64, 1, lxxiii). According to Dopping (1682 5) the church and chancel walls were out of repair since 1641 but the graveyard was enclosed (Ellison 1972, 4). The parish of Agher was part of the living Jonathan Swift obtained when he returned to Ireland in 1701, although it is doubtful if he attended much (Reynolds 1967, 41). The present Church of Ireland church was built in 1804 (Lewis 1837, 1, 18). The site of the medieval parish church is within a D-shaped graveyard (dims c. 65m E-W; c. 48m N-S), which is defined by an earthen bank or scarp NW-SE and by masonry walls on the straight S and W sides. There is no visible trace of an older structure, but a slate graveslab dated 1771 and now in the graveyard includes the phrase ‘beneath this floor’ and would have come from the older structure. The motte and bailey (ME048-011----), deserted settlement (ME048-010----) and field system (ME048-012----) are c. 300-560m to the E and S.

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: 9 April, 2015

References

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.

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.

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

Reynolds, J. 1967 Jonathan Swift – Vicar of Laraor. Ríocht na Mídhe, 4, 1, 41-54.