Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a rise in a fairly level landscape. A church at Balimacglassan is listed in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-06) of Pope Nicholas IV (Cal. doc. Ire., 5, 254). Ussher (1622) describes the church as in reasonable repair but the chancel was ruined (Erlington 1847-64, 1, lxxi). A ruined church is marked on the Down Survey (1656-8) parish map at Ballymaglassan. According to Dopping (1682-5) the church and chancel of St Kenan’s (Kieran ?) were ruined since 1641 but the walls were standing and the graveyard was not enclosed (Ellison 1971, 38). A new church, described as a ‘neat little edifice’ was built in 1800 (Lewis 1837, 1, 146), but this is now closed. The E window from this church, which had come from the Church of Ireland church at Ratoath is now in the E wall of St Seachnall's Church of Ireland Church at Dunshaughlin (Kenny 1994-5). The site of the medieval church, of which there is no physical trace, is within a D-shaped graveyard (max. dims c. 50m NE-SW; c. 40m NW-SE) defined by masonry walls with straight sides at NE and SE. The headstones date from c. 1780 to c. 1930 and have been published (ibid).

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 upload/revision: 10 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).

Erlington, C.R. 1847-64 The whole works of the Rev. James Ussher, D.D., Lord Archbishop of Armagh, and primate of all Ireland, 16 vols. Dublin. Hodges and Smith.

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.

Kenny, M. J. 1994-5 Saint Kieran's church and graveyard, Ballymaglasson, County Meath. Ríocht na Mídhe, vol. 9, No. 1.