Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a gentle N-facing slope with the steep valley of the Aughrim River to the NE. Bride's Well (WI040-011001-) c. 150m to the NW. Cropmark of levelled ringfort (WI040-031---) in field to S. Levelled medieval church stands in the centre of a D-shaped graveyard (WI040-011003-) containing two stones (WI040-011006-/WI040-011007-) decorated with prehistoric rock art. The D-shaped graveyard may preserve the line of an Early Christian ecclesiastical enclosure (WI040-011004-). Graveyard may have been used as a children's burial ground (WI040-011005-).
According to Ronan (1927, 107) the medieval church in Ballintemple was known as Tachmayl, or the House of Mael and that the land in the vicinity of this church is still called Tamoyle, but the townland is called Ballintemple. Price (1967, 492) suggested that this church may have been dedicated to St. Bridget belonging to the monastery of Kildare and that the name commemorates one of the bishops of Kildare.
Archbishop Bulkeley’s Visitation of 1630 described the building as following; ‘The church and chauncell are very ruinous. The greate tythes are impropriate; Sir William Parsons is farmer. Theobald Doyle, aforesaid, is curate, who hath, as he certifies, xx libri per annum for serving the cure’ (Ronan 1941, 93).
The Ordnance Survey Letters of 1839 described the ruins as following; ‘ Within the old churchyard are still seen the vestiges of the foundation of the church which, as can be ascertained by their extent, was 15 yards [13.7m] long, by 6½ yards [5.9m] broad. There is no lime perceived in the cement observable in the portions of the foundation, that remain. A holy well called Bride’s Well lies within 110 yards of the churchyard to the N. West. It appears from some vestiges on the ground that there was a fort to the S. West of the old church, and an old hut a short distance from it’ (O'Flanagan 1928, 128-9).
Graveyard and church site now inaccessible due to dense cover of vegetation making examination of site impossible. Church previously described as consisting of a rectangular structure (dims. 16.2m E-W; 8m N-S) defined at the W, N and E by a stony bank (Wth 2.5m; H 0.4-1m). Some large blocks may represent inner and outer wall footings. At SE a line of blocks may represent the wall footing or plinth. No indication of a door. The church lies towards the centre of an oval graveyard (dims. 45.5m N-S; c. 50m E-W) defined by an earth and stone bank (Wth 2-3.8m; int. H 0.6-1m; ext. H 1.2m) with near vertical external drystone facing. There is an entrance (Wth 2m) with drystone-faced bank terminals at the SW. The graveyard contains several early 18th-century headstones, including examples by Denis Cullen and James Byrne, and was last used in the 1940s for adults (local information suggests that children were buried here more recently).

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

Compiled by: Eoin Grogan & Annaba Kilfeather

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 30 May 2017

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 98/1940).

References

Price, L. 1967 The place-names of Co. Wicklow. VII - The baronies of Newcastle and Arklow. The Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (382-532).

Ronan, Rev. M.V. 1927 The ancient churches of the deanery of Arklow, Co. Wicklow. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 57, 100-116.

Ronan, M.V. 1941 Archbishop Bulkeley's Visitation of Dublin, 1630. Archivium Hibernicum 8, 56-98.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1928 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Wicklow collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838. Bray.