Religious house - Cistercian monks

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on low-lying marshy ground in Arklow Town. Probably the site of a Cistercian Abbey, granted by Theobold Walter to the Cistercians of Furness, but possibly only in existence for a short period (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 126). It was part of the medieval borough of Arklow (WI040-029----). Human skeletons in what appear to have been lintelled graves or long cists were found on the site prior to 1927 at the site marked 'Site of Grave Yard' on the 1838 OS 6-inch map. A trapezoidal tombstone, possibly of medieval date, was also found and was located at Shelton Abbey (Ronan 1927, 103). The site is now occupied by houses.

The Urban Survey of Co. Wicklow described the Cistercian Abbey site as follows; 'Before 1204 Theobald Walter granted the island of Arklow to the Cistercians of Furness (Lancashire) for the foundation an abbey but in 1205 he transferred the monks to a new monastery at Abington, County Limerick (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 126). Presumably the Cistercians established some form of temporary church but it is not clear what happened to it after 1205. O’Curry (O.S. Letters: Wicklow) noted that "an ancient graveyard with the site of a church was found on the north side of the Bridge of Arklow in a sandbank in Ferrybank townland in this [Kilbride] parish. Several graves containing’ skeletons were found here, which were covered with large flags, the sides being built with stones of various sizes and forms. The surface of the place is still covered over with human bones. A tombstone now lying at Lord Wicklow’s farmhouse [Sheldon Abbey] was found here a few years ago which is 6 feet long, 2 feet broad at one end and 1 foot 8 inches at the other and 7 inches thick in the centre along the whole length, whilst the edges on each side are but 3 inches in thickness" (Ronan 1927, 103-4, note 9). This church site has been identified by O’Curry and Ronan with the site of the Cistercian Abbey. The description of the abbey as being founded on an "island" and the discovery of this graveyard in a sandbank supports this view' (Bradley and King 1989, 7).

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.

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload/revision: 30 June 2021

References

Bradley, J. and King, H.A. 1989 Urban archaeological survey - county Wicklow. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.

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.