Church

The National Monuments Service's description

This is the fortified church of Killesk. References to the quarter fee of Killesk date from 1247 when it was held by Auger de Ponte Chardun, but it was held by the FitzGeralds or Barrons from 1324 (Brooks 1950, 158-60). References to the castle (WX039-034001-) date from 1568 (Hore 1900-11, vol. 3, 237-40). There is a reference to the church of Killesk in 1370 (ibid. 239) when the advowson, or the right of appointing clergy, was granted to Dunbrody abbey (WX039-030001-). The church may have been built around that time, but it may have been laicised by the 16th century.

It is situated towards the S end of a low S-N spur. Externally, the remains consist of a tower (ext. dims. 8.3m N-S; 5.4m E-W) with a projection (ext. dims. 7.9m E-W; 6.9m N-S) to the E which incorporates the vault of the tower into the body of the church (int. dims 10.45m E-W; 4.6m N-S) and utilises its first floor under the E-W vault as a gallery. The church had tall windows, now destroyed, in the E wall and towards the E end of the N and S walls. The tower has good granite and conglomerate quoins and a slight base batter that is absent from the E projection. The pointed entrance in the S wall of the tower is protected by a murder-hole, and gives access through the lobby to the body of the church on the ground floor. From the lobby a newel stairs at the SW angle goes up to the gallery under the vault of the tower. The gallery has a window in the W wall and an alcove in the S wall controls the murder-hole, while its floor was supported on corbels in the N and S walls.

Off the newel stairs, a mural stairs in the S wall gives access through a lintelled doorway to the wall walk (destroyed) of the church projection, with an oubliette, or hidden chamber, off the stairs in the masonry of the vault. The newel stairs continue at the SW angle to the second floor of the tower which had three lights in the W wall and one in the N, but while this floor has a masonry wall on the E side indicating it was rising over the E part of the church, it has no fireplace. A small window or creep could give access to the wall-walk of the N wall of the E projection, and a chamber separated off at the NW corner could have had a garderobe. A third storey in the tower is destroyed but its garderobe chute is still evident in the W wall. The church abuts the W side of a rectangular, grass-covered enclosure (dims 45-50m N-S; 32m E-W) defined by a slight bank or scarp, but there is no evidence of burial.

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/revision: 28 January, 2013

References

Brooks E.St. J. (ed.) 1950 Knights' fees in Counties Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny (13th-15th century). Dublin. Stationery Office.