Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a broad, low ENE-WSW ridge. The parish church of Toome is within a subrectangular graveyard (dims. c. 55m E-W; c. 35m N-S) defined by an earthen bank with an external stone facing. The name may be derived from Tuaim - a mound or tumulus, according to J. O'Donovan writing c. 1840 (O'Flanagan 1933, vol. 1, 73-4), and it is probably on the site of an early monastery, although no early saint is associated with it. According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 John Alcock was the priest, John Lacy the curate, and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 266, 273).

This is a nave and chancel church of which only the W, N and E walls of the nave survive to roof level (int. dims. 11.3m E-W; 5.1m N-S). Only the top of the pointed chancel arch (Wth 1.8m; H 1.1m) of undressed stone is visible, and the chancel appears as a sunken area (int. dims. 8.50m E-W; 5m N-S). There is a bullaun stone (dims. 0.73m x 0.5m; H 0.18m plus) with a single basin (diam. 0.29m; D 0.12m) outside the SW corner of the nave. The bullaun stone has an indented line describing a rectangle (dims. 0.6m x 0.16m) on the upper surface beside the basin.

The church and graveyard are within an oval ecclesiastical enclosure which consist of an inner and an outer enclosure visible as cropmarks only on Google Earth (14/07/2018). The inner subcircular enclosure (dims c. 80m E-W; c. 70m N-S) is defined by a fosse feature that is only visible partially SW-N-E around the graveyard. This is within a larger oval enclosure (dims c. 180m ENE-WSW; c. 90m NNW-SSE), the fosse of which is traceable SW-N-E but is most marked NW-E. The enclosures are not visible E-SW only because of the nature of the crop. The outer enclosure is entangled with the cropmark of a rath (WX011-011005-) at NE. The cropmarks were first reported by Jean Charles Caillère and were also noted by Simon Dowling.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 11 April, 2012
Amended: 27 Sep. 20 2019; 28 Feb. 2020

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1933 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of County Wexford, collected during progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838. Typescript in 2 vols. Bray.

Hore, P.H. 1900-1911 (Reprint 1979) History of the town and county of Wexford, 6 vols. Dublin. Published by arrangement with W.A. Hennessy Esq.