Tomb - effigial

The National Monuments Service's description

Towards the E end of the graveyard of the C of I church, which is on or near the site of the former Cistercian abbey (TS083-017----). Only the upper end, carved in high relief with the image of a head, of this sandstone effigial tomb survives (L 0.26m; total H 0.36m; H of base 0.26m; Wth 0.39m at the top, tapering to 0.37m at the base). The upper surface of the slab is edged with a roll-moulding (Wth 0.04m). The head is very worn and may have been deliberately defaced in past. It appears to be a lady, wearing a gorget under the chin and possibly a nebuly head-dress, where the hair is held in place by a crespine of fabric or fine wire. The hair appears to be gathered at the top of the head and flows down over, and to the base of, the roll-moulding. The head is reminiscent of an effigy (KK022-055----) from Ballykeefe, Co. Kilkenny which has been dated by Hunt (1974, vol. 1, 165) to c. 1340-1360.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 20 September 2017

References

Hunt, J. 1974 Irish medieval figure sculpture 1200-1600, 2 vols. Dublin. Irish University Press.