Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight rise of a gentle E-facing slope with a small W-E stream immediately S of the graveyard. According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 Richard Henrican was rector, Robert Dreighan the curate, and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 271). The site of the parish church of Horetown is within a D-shaped graveyard (dims. 60m N-S; c. 40m E-W) defined by an earthen bank (Wth c. 2m; ext. H 1.8-2.2m) on all sides except the W where the mid-19th century Church of Ireland church stands. Lewis (1837, vol. 2, 9) records that the ruins of the Carmelite abbey (WX041-052----), which may have served as the medieval parish church, were used in building the original church here. There are no visible remains of an older foundation at ground level. Archaeological monitoring (08E0798) of a sewer trench, W, S, and SE of the 19th century church failed to produce any archaeological material (Stafford 2011).

See the attached section from the Down Survey (1656-8) parish map (N at top right) reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland (Ms 725)

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: 19 March, 2013
Amended: 4 Sep. 2013

References

Stafford, E. 2011 Horetown South. Vicinity of medieval church. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2008: summary accounts of archaeoological excavations in Ireland, P 373, No. 1284. Dublin, Wordwell

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.