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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Cross-slab (present location)

Baronstown Demesne, County Westmeath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Cross-slab (present location), Baronstown Demesne, County Westmeath, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Baronstown Demesne
County
Westmeath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
53.60310, -7.51524
SMR number
WM011-040007-

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David 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)
  • 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Kilbixy or Ceall Bhigsighe was founded by St Bigseach who was connected to St. Brigid of Kildare (Ó Riain 2011, 106). Early Christian cross-inscribed stone consisting of an incomplete sandstone slab (H 0.78m x Wth 0.45m x T 0.09m) decorated with an incised or pocked marked triple line cross with triangular-shaped terminals framing broad interlaced ribbons. The lower terminal of the cross is missing as this part of the slab is broken. Cross-inscribed slab found by local parishioner in Kilbixy graveyard (WM011-04005-) and now mounted onto the internal face of the S wall located off centre to E inside the C of I church at Kilbixy. This type of expansional cross with ribbon interlaced terminals may date from the 10th/11th century based on comparisons with comparable slabs bearing inscriptions (Lionard 1960-1, 131-6).

To see a 3D model of the cross-slab visit https://skfb.ly/oF7Qp

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 22 June 2018

References

Ó Riain, P. 2011 A dictionary of Irish Saints. Dublin. Four Courts Press.

Lionard, P. 1961 Early Irish grave-slabs. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 61C, 95-161.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Cross-slab (present location) in Westmeath All County Westmeath records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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