Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a slight rise of ground with good views in all directions. Nearby monuments include Ballykilleen ringfort (OF011-035001-) 950m to E, Ballinrath Castle (OF011-032----) 590m to WSW, and Ballyleakin Castle (OF011-030----) 1km to NNW. This church is listed in 1540-41 as part of the estate of the Hospitallers of Kilmainham, Co. Dublin (DU018-020286-) where it was described as the rectory of 'Kylsen, [located] among the Irish' which at the time was 'held to farm by Charles Rowe O Connor; he ought to pay 4li., but pays nothing at present' (White 1943, 940). Described in 1550 as the 'parsonage of Balnekill' which of late formed part of the estate of Kilmainham Priory of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (Curtis 1929, 346). This church is indicated on the 1563 map of Laois-Offaly. In 1609 King James I granted Francis Gofton one of the auditors of the imprests in England lands in County Offaly which included the 'church or rectory of Ballinekellis otherwise Ballintample, consisting of all the tithes of the towns and lands of Ballinekelly or Ballintample, Ballinrasa [Ballinrath], Ballilakin [Ballyleakin], Ballymoran, Rathclonbrackan [Rathvilla or Rathclonbrackan], Dromomoy [Ballykilleen], Ballykiltin [Ballykilleen], Ballinanaune [Ballynanum], Ballycholgan [Ballycolgan], Eskermore, Eskerbegg, Lattah, Balleiwe [Ballyhugh], Doonan [Downan graveyard], Ballachony, Coolenevedogg, Ballyvorin, Dromchaie [Drumcaw or Mountlucas] and the water-mill (OF019-013----) there, and Balligowne [Ballycon]. - In Ballinrasa [Ballinrath], 10a called Farrinehegellishe, being the glebe of the said rectory, with the presentation and advowson of the vicarage thereof; parcel of the estate of the late hospital of St John of Jerusalem' (Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I, 129). The Civil Survey of 1654-56 recorded that the lands of Ballinrath and Ballynakill belonged to Protestant land owner, Richard Aprice, these unforfeited lands were listed in 1660 as belonging to Richard Aprice and John Sankey (NLI p 3771).
Depicted as a church ruins standing in the centre of a roughly square-shaped graveyard (OF011-034002-) on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map. On the revised 1908 ed. OS 25-inch map only the W gable of this church is depicted as upstanding along with a short section of the N wall return at NW angle of church. Present remains consist of the ivy-covered W wall and NW angle of the medieval church of Ballynakill also known as Ballintemple survives upstanding (approx. dims 14m E-W x 9.6m N-S) with a broken out window in the centre of the W wall. There are no surface remains visible of the N, S and E walls of this church. A modern buttress was added onto the S end of the W wall. The church is built with rubble limestone with no cut stone architectural features visible. Possible earthworks (OF011-034003-) outside graveyard (OF011-034002-) wall.

Excavation licence no. 05E0614
Monitoring of a proposed development by Brian Halpin of National Archaeological Services on a domestic garage and a single-lane driveway, at Ballinakill, Edenderry, was carried out on 19 June 2005. The site works involved the removal of all topsoil down to the subsoil in the development area using a track machine with a 1m-wide flat toothless bucket. Nothing of an archaeological nature was noted.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 24 July 2014

References

Irish Tourist Association. Surveys undertaken in the 1940s for the Irish Tourist Association (now Fáilte Ireland) relating to ‘Natural features, antiquities, historic associations etc.' Extracts from these surveys were copied into the Topographical files of the Office of Public Works and these have been incorporated into the Sites and Monuments Record files (National Monuments Service).

Curtis, E. 1930 The survey of Offaly in 1550. Hermathena 20, No. 45, 312-52. Dublin. Hodges Figgis, & Co.

NLI, p 3771 – National Library of Ireland, microfilm copy of the books of survey and distribution for King's Co., 1604-1701. Dublin. National Library of Ireland.

Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I - Irish patent rolls of James I: facsimile of the Irish record commissioners' calendar prepared prior to 1830, with foreword by M.C. Griffith (Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin, 1966)

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