Burial ground

The National Monuments Service's description

Excavations in 1994 and 1995 to the rear of the Main Guard courthouse (TS083-019004-) (Excavation Licence number 94E0188) revealed a burial ground with a total of twenty-nine burials (Henry 1996, 81). All of the burials were interred in unmarked pits and there was no evidence remaining to suggest the use of coffins (ibid.). All were on an E-W axis, with the heads to the W in nearly all cases (ibid.). Several of the skeletons were partially disturbed and a large quantity of disarticulated bones was found (ibid.). The disturbance of the human remains can be accounted for by the building activity that occurred on the site during the late 1600s-the construction of the Main Guard-and the subsequent subdivision of the return block and the erection of new buildings in the 1800s (ibid.). The majority of the remains were adult and both male and female bones were present (ibid.). No datable finds were recovered with the skeletons (ibid.). However, it is possible to conclude that the burials pre-dated the construction of the return block section of the Main Guard, i.e. the 1670s (ibid.). It was likely that the burial-ground was in use from the time of the foundation of the Franciscan friary in 1269 (ibid.). The historical records indicate that the burial-ground remained in use following the dissolution of the friary in 1540 (ibid.). The church and graveyard were granted to the citizens of Clonmel after the Dissolution and remained in use for some time, probably until the ground was acquired for the construction of the Main Guard in the early 1670s (ibid.).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

Henry, M. 1996 Main Guard, 1-2 O'Connell St. and No 19 Mitchell St., Clonmel: medieval. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1995: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 81. Bray. Wordwell