Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a gentle E-facing slope. The parish church of St Margaret's is within a subrectangular graveyard (max. dims c. 45m NNW-SSE; c. 30m ENE-WSW) with very few headstones that is defined by masonry walls (H 1.5-2.3m) and accessed by a road just to the W. At the Suppression in 1541 it was a possession of St. Selskar’s (WX037-032009-) in Wexford (White 1943, 369), and it was thought to be dedicated to St. Margaret of Scotland (Culleton 1968), but since the pattern is not know this cannot be confirmed.
The church consists of a nave (ext. dims. 8.1m E-W; 7.2m N-S; int. dims 6.32m E-W; 4.74m E-W) and chancel (ext. dims 8.2m E-W; 5.45m N-S; int. dims 6.6m E-W; 3.75m N-S) with the E gable almost complete and the ivy-covered walls decreasing in height towards the W (H 0.5m). There is an entrance (Wth 0.8m) on the S side of the nave, which is possibly not original. A pointed chancel arch (Wth 1.63m; H 2.1m) leads to the chancel which has a pointed E window (Wth c. 1m; H 1.95m) with the remains of tracery and an external hood moulding that has a carved head as a stop. Three areas of collapse in the side walls of the chancel may have been windows. Although the nave and chancel are of equal length internally, outer courses of the nave side walls overlap those of chancel (L 1.5m at S; 2.1m at N) preserving more normal proportions on the outside. The nave appears to be attached to the chancel, and therefore later than it. St Margaret's Well (WX053-077----) is c. 300m to the SSE.

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: 25 March, 2014

References

Culleton, E. 1968 St. Margarets, Carne. Journal of the Wexford Historical Society, vol. 1, 28-9.

White, N.B. 1943 Extents of Irish monastic possessions, 1540-1541. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.