Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the crest of the S-facing slope of an E-W ridge. The church (MO012-070----) is within a subcircular or D-shaped graveyard (dims c. 50m NW-SE; c. 45m NE-SW) defined by a scarp (Wth 2.2m; ext. H 1.5m) and a slight outer ditch (Wth of base 0.5m; ext. D 0.1m) SW-W, which might be the only part of the original perimeter surviving, although its line merges into a field bank E-SW. The perimeter is formed by straight scarps and outer ditches at NW (L c. 25m) and NE (L c. 35m) with a gateway to a roadway where they meet at N. The headstone inscriptions, with an array of mortuary and trade symbols, have been recorded (McCaughey et al. 1982, 131-40) and date largely from 1714 to c. 1800. An analysis of the headstones (Mytum and Evans 2002) concludes that the disc-head form reached its apogee in the 1740s to be replaced by the rectangular form later in the century with the more prestigious horizontal ledger or graveslab occurring throughout the century. The area S and W of the church was used for the earlier headstones with later examples in the E and N and the peripheral areas.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of revised upload: 29 November 2016

References

Mytum, H. and Evans, R. 2002 The Evolution of an Irish Graveyard during the Eighteenth Century: The Example of Killeevan, Co. Monaghan. The Journal of Irish Archaeology 11, 131-46.

McCaughey, Rev. H., McGourty, Rev. M. and Rev. P. Mulligan 1982 Graveyard inscriptions: Kileevan and Aghabog. Clogher Record, vol. 11, No. 1, 119-49.