Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Religious house - Augustinian friars
Abbeyside, County Waterford, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Abbeyside
- County
- Waterford
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Abbey (in ruins)
- Latest-edition OS map
- Augustinian Priory (in Ruins)
- Coordinates
- 52.08786, -7.61064
- SMR number
- WA031-040005-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1865 · Ireland, (South) Sheet. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1882 · Ireland (southern half). (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Situated on the E side of the Colligan estuary c. 400m from Dungarvan castle (WA031-040001-). An Augustinian abbey was founded c. 1290 by Thomas Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald. By the Suppression in 1541 it served as a parish church and it was in ruins by 1654.
The remains consist of the chancel and crossing-tower within a subrectangular graveyard (dims. c. 50-80m E-W; c. 60m NE-SW) defined by a masonry wall, with the sea on the E side. The tower is incorporated into the modern St Augustine's RC church which is built on the site of the N transept. The chancel (int. dims. 13.5m E-W; 6.25m N-S) survives complete with a large window in the E gable and three pointed windows in the S wall, all of which are destroyed. There are numerous putlog holes in the walls. A small rectangular window survives above the E window, with a round-arched doorway in the N wall and traces of a triple sedilia in the S wall. The graveslab of Donald McGrath is set in the ground in this doorway.
The four-storey tower at the transept is complete (H c. 16m) with an external string course over the second floor. There is a groin vault over the ground floor and the remains of newel stairs are visible at the NW angle of the first floor. Three lights survive at second-floor level and the third level, or belfry stage, has tall single-light, ogee-headed opes in the N and E walls, with similar double opes in the S and W walls.
Some architectural fragments (WA031-040008-) in the graveyard indicated that it had a cloister arcade. The 15th century graveslab of Donald McGrath (WA031-040029-) is set in the ground in the chancel doorway, while an armorial plaque (WA031-040030-) and stone head (WA031-040031-) are set in the outer face of the W wall of the modern church. (Bradley et al. 1989, vol. 1, 34-40)
Bradley, J., Halpin, A. and King, H. (1989) Urban archaeology Survey of Waterford City and County, 2 vols. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works.
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Compiled by: Michael Moore.
Date of upload: 10th November, 2011.
Nearby in the register
- Graveslabunder 1 mi
- Armorial plaqueunder 1 mi
- Stone headunder 1 mi
- Architectural fragmentunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.