Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a level area on a gentle W-facing slope, 100m to SE lies a granite bullaun stone (WI042-019005-). The National Monument (No. 137) at Aghowle comprises of St. Finden's [Finnian] High Cross (WI042-019002-) and a Romanesque Church (both National Monuments vested to the State) (Corlett 2019; Cochrane 1892, 413). The overall ecclesiastical remains also include a range of other features, such as cross bases, architectural fragments, fonts and a significant collection of cross slabs. Repairs were carried-out to Aghowle Church (WI042-019002-) by the Office of Public Works around 1914 (Anon 1915, 31). The church was described in 1838-40 as, 'the walls of the ancient Church are the original height except a part of the south side wall' (OSL). The siting of the church was recorded as located in an area 'formerly much encompassed with bogs was difficult of approach in the time of winter' (ibid.). In 1886 the restoration of the church was described as following; 'it became a complete ruin in 1716, when the holding of public worship was transferred from it to the present church [St. Michael's C. of I. Church, Coolkenna]. A short time ago I wrote to the Board of Works to call their attention to it, as coming under the provisions of section 25 of the Irish Church Act, and I am happy to say that it has been, by them, put into a safe state against further dilapidation' (Owen 1886, 409). The repairs carried out on the church was described by Ffrench (1885, 96) as following; 'The Board of Works have had the north wall under-pinned, and also the east gable. They have also taken down three courses from the top of the north wall, and re set them in cement, and then covered the top with concrete. They have removed the ivy, and built up the great open crack in the north wall, and have also placed a buttress against the corner of the east gable where it joined the north wall. As the east gable only overhangs six inches, and as the foundations are well secured, and the wall is three feet thick, I think, with the help of the buttress, it may now stand for any number of years. In clearing about the foundations of the east gable inside the church two objects of interest were discovered. One was apparently the base of a pillar cut on the end of a stone that was inserted in the wall of the east gable, and pretty close to the south side-wall. It seems contemporary work, and there was a similar pillar at the other side of the east gable, there being a vacancy, or broken-down place, whence it appears to have been pulled out. The other object of interest was a square font, or holy water vessel, not very much unlike many fonts used at the present day. There is no drain-hole in it. The cross has also been restored, the head having been fastened on with two stone pins, and it now presents a most striking appearance. It is to be regretted that the Board of Works did not take down the modern wall built across the church by the " Nixon" family, and restore it to the breach which they pulled down in the north wall for materials to build'.
The walled private burial enclosure for the Nickson family was inserted into the W end of the church by Captain Nickson of Money (Anon. 1912, 75). This event was described as following; 'A part of the Church wall was torn down by Captain Nickson, and the stones thus acquired were used by him to enclose a portion of one end of the ruins for a family burial-place' (Drury 1906, 170). In 1944 the state issued Aghowle National Monument Order No. 8 which prohibited the burial of human remains within and around a designated area surrounding the Romanesque Church.
Present remains consists of a Romanesque church on the site of the monastery of Achadh-Abhall (Aghowle / field of the apple trees) founded in the sixth century by St. Finnian (549-92) of Clonard, Co. Meath (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 28; Graves 1883, 72). In 1018 the annals recorded death of the 'Abbot of Achadh-abhla' (Aghowle) (AFM). In 1050 the same annals recorded the death of the erenagh of 'Tealach-Foirtcheirn (Tullow) and Achadh-abhall' (Aghowle)(ibid.). In 1204 the church of 'Achadadall' (Aghowle) was listed as one of the churches in the possession of Herluin, Bishop of Leighlin (Cal. papal letters Vol. 1, 18). The church of 'Achaul' (Aghowle) in the benefice of 'Ogelinech' was valued at 40s. in the 1302-06 taxation of the rent and revenue of the Bishop of Leighlin (Cal. doc. Ire. vol. 5, 251). In 1418 the pope appointed Thady Obryn, rector of Mullynmeicduys in the diocese of Leighlin to the 'canonry and prebend of Achabull [Aghowle] in Leighlin, value not exceeding 6 marks, void by the resignation to bishop Richard of William Yaega; notwithstanding that he holds the said rectory of the patronage of laymen, value not exceeding 8 marks' (Cal. papal letters Vol. 7, 51).
Church ruins recently described by Corlett (2019) as following; 'The church consists of a rectangular building, 18m long and 7.24m wide, with no differentiation between nave and chancel. Both gables and the north wall are well-preserved, however, the southern wall is almost entirely gone, except for a short section at the west end. Therefore, we have no evidence for any window(s) in the south wall, though a window lintel in the graveyard probably belongs to a window at the east end of this wall. The reason that the south wall is missing is because the stone was used to construct a wall (3.6m high) across the western end of the church (5.45m east of the west gable) during the eighteenth century, in order to provide a private burial plot for the Nixon family. At the west end there is a fine doorway and a window within the apex of the gable. There are corbels of a former gallery at this end of the church. The north wall of the church is featureless except for a window at the eastern end. The east gable end features a pair of windows, an aumbry and evidence for a piscina. The walls average 90cm and are predominantly granite-built, with some schist, and were constructed using mostly field stones. The foundation plinth is clearly visible on the exterior of the north wall (off set 15cm; 20-25cm high), and the north end of the east wall, but is concealed below the surface elsewhere. The granite quoin stones at the angles are dressed, and most intact at the southwest angle. At the northwest and southeast angles, the upper quoins survive, but were robbed out at a lower level and more recently repaired with a cement render, probably added by the Office of Public Works in the early 20th century. It seems likely that the quoin stones from the southeast angle, and perhaps also the northwest angle, may have been reused to finish the southern end of the cross wall built to form the Nixon family plot at the west end of the church; where this cross wall meets the original south wall of the church, there is a neat angle of dressed granite stones that must represent recycled quoins. At the northeast angle the quoins survive relatively intact, but again they appear to have been removed at the lower levels. Here a small buttress (2.2m wide; 2.2m high) projects 1m northwards, where the ground falls away, and has been tied into the east gable using the gaps where the quoins had been removed. This buttress was not added during the early 20th century repairs by the Office of Public Works, and its date is uncertain.
The granite-built trabeate doorway at the west end of the church is 1.92m high. The door frame (52cm deep) inclines and measures 87cm wide at the base, narrowing to 83cm wide at top. It has a roll moulding both internally and externally, but this survives very poorly on the external angle on the northern side, which is badly defaced. Also, on the southern side the external angle features a pronounced hollowed area, possibly from repeated use for sharpening. Externally, the doorway is framed by a double architrave. The outer order is rounded, whereas the inner order is squared and decorated on the inner return with a

References

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Leask, H.G. 1955 (Reprint 1977 and 1987) Irish churches and monastic buildings, vol. I. The first phases of the Romanesque. Dundalk. Dundalgan Press.

Cal. doc. Ire. - Calendar of documents relating to Ireland 1171-1307, ed. H.S. Sweetman (5 vols., London, 1875-86).

AFM - Annals of the kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters from the earliest period to the year 1616, ed. and trans. John O'Donovan (7 vols., Dublin, 1851; reprint New York, 1966)

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

Graves, Rev. A.B. 1883-4 The Damhliag of Achadhabhall. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 16, 72-85.

Crawford, H.S. 1925 A sepulchral slab at Aghowle, Co. Wicklow. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 55, 66.

OSL - Ordnance Survey Letters. Letters written by members of the Ordnance Survey's 'Topographical Department' (T. O'Conor, A. O'Curry, E. Curry, J. O'Donovan and P. O'Keeffe) sent to headquarters from the field (1834-41). MSS in Royal Irish Academy.

Cal. papal letters - Calendar of entries in the papal registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: papal letters, 1198-1484 [etc.] (London, 1893-)

Corlett, C. and Medleycott, J. (eds.) 2000 The Ordnance Survey Letters Wicklow. Wicklow. Roundwood & District Historical & Folklore Society.

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Harbison, P. 1970 (Reprint 1992) Guide to the national monuments in the Republic of Ireland. Dublin. Gill and Macmillan.

Corlett, C. 2019 Archaeological Survey of Aghowle Church and Cross, Co. Wicklow. Unpublished National Monuments Survey Report carried out by Chris Corlett, October 2019.

Anon. 1912 The church at Aghowle. Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 18, 75-6.

Drury, C. 1906 Aghowle Churchyard. Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead in Ireland 6, 169-170.

Anon. 1915 Eighty-third annual report from the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland. London. HMSO.

Owen, F. 1886 To the Editor of the "Journal R.H.A.A.I.". Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 7, 409.

Ffrench, Rev. J. F. M. 1885 Excursions and Reports of Local Secretaries. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 7, 93-96.

CRSBI The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. Online database accessible at www.crsbi.ac.uk