Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

The partial remains of a medieval nave and chancel church (WM020-128----) with residential tower on E end of N wall of church can be seen adjoining the E gable of the 19th century church of Ireland church dedicated to St. Etchen which stands in the centre of a large roughly rectangular shaped graveyard (dims. 95m E-W x 65m N-S). The present Church of Ireland church was constructed in 1803 partially on the site of the nave of the medieval church (Lotts 2011, 5). A wayside cross (WM020-127----) is 170m to the NE, a second wayside cross (WM020-135----) and Anglo-Norman motte and bailey (WM020-125001-) castle are 265m and 480m to the SSW respectively. A medieval font (WM020-128002-) originally located inside the medieval church, is now located inside the present 19th century Church of Ireland building. A map of the glebe land dating from 1779 depicts the church as a long rectangular building with a tower at the W end of the church standing in the centre of a rectangular shaped ‘churchyard’ (WM020-128001-) (Lotts 2011, 6). A large house with gardens and outbuildings is shown on this map located on the SW angle of the graveyard boundary wall. These buildings are depicted on the 1837 ed. of the OS 6-inch map but are not depicted on the revised 1910 map. A kick in SW angle of the present graveyard boundary wall is depicted on the 1779 map (Lotts 2011, 6). This cartographic evidence suggests that the present S wall of the graveyard dates from the 18th century while other parts of the graveyard wall may date from the 19th century as the parish vestry book records in 1809 that money was raised 'towards enclosing the churchyard' (Lotts 2011, 7).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 8 August 2012

References

Lotts, R. 2011 Architectural heritage assessment report for proposed alterations to St Etchen's Church, Killucan Co. Westmeath. Unpublished report, DAHG Licence No. 11N0004. SMR File, Dublin.