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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Ecclesiastical enclosure

Noughaval, County Westmeath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Ecclesiastical enclosure, Noughaval, 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
Noughaval
County
Westmeath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
53.52427, -7.77854
SMR number
WM016-012003-

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

The curving sections of the D-shaped boundary wall of post-medieval date at Noughaval graveyard (WM016-012001-) may indicate the presence of an Early Christian ecclesiastical enclosure (Swan 1988, 19). Inside the curving boundary wall are the remains of a low earthen bank mainly reduced to a scarp with indications of a possible external fosse now filled in, visible running along inner face of N and E sections of graveyard wall. Medieval church ruins (WM016-012----) standing in N quadrant of Noughaval graveyard contains possible sandstone head of 12th century date. Possible holy well (WM016-012002-) associated with St Finnian located outside NW quadrant of graveyard boundary wall. A low linear earthwork in field to E of graveyard may represent remains of an old trackway running from the graveyard towards Noughaval House to the E which clearly visible on Bing Maps aerial photographs. Circular enclosure (WM016-012004-), possibly a small ring-barrow in field immediately S of boundary wall, clearly visible on OSI 2005 aerial photographs. The SMR file mentions the presence of a carved head in a shed belonging to nearby Noughaval House that was thought to be of Early Christian date. This head appears to date from the post-medieval period and may be contemporaneous with Noughaval House.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 1 October 2014

References

Swan, D.L. 1988 The Early Christian ecclesiastical sites of County Westmeath. In J. Bradley (ed.), Settlement and society in Medieval Ireland: studies presented to F.X. Martin O.S.A., 1-31. Kilkenny. Boethius Press.

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
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