Historic Buildings Record · Northern Ireland
Killaresy Church
Clay, Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland
The record
- Designation
- Record only (not listed)
- Grade
- Record Only
- Type
- Church
- Date of construction
- Pre 1600
- Address
- Killaresy Church, Lower Clay Road, Clay, Killinchy, Co. Down
- Townland
- Clay
- Council
- Newry, Mourne and Down
- Country
- Northern Ireland
- Coordinates
- 54.43848, -5.66941
- Date of survey
- 24 June 1999
- HB reference
- HB18/02/016
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Vltoniae Orientalis Pars" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
The Department's description
Exterior description and setting
Overgrown remains of a small church of possible late medieval origin, surrounded by a graveyard. The whole grouping is set to the immediate S of the Lower Clay Road, c.3 miles N of Killyleagh.
The ruins of the church are rectangular in plan, measuring roughly 25.5m x 7m, but the (mainly low level) remains of the walls are completely covered in greenery and nothing can be seen of them. The surrounding graveyard has head stones of all denominations, the earliest legible stone dating from 1724. To the road side the graveyard is bounded by a high random rubble wall.
Historical information
According to the 1966 ‘Archaeological Survey of Co. Down’, this church could be late Medieval in origin. The site is marked as a ‘burial ground’ on the OS map of 1834 and ‘Killaresy Church (in ruins)’ on that of 1859.
References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/1/3/24 OS map, 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 24.
2 PRONI OS/6/3/24/2 OS map, 1st rev., 1859, Co. Down 24.
Secondary sources
1 ‘Archaeological Survey of Co. Down’ (HMSO Belfast 1966), p.304.
2 R.S.J. Clark ‘Gravestone Inscriptions Co. Down Vol.VII’ (UHF Belfast [?1975]), pp.3-7.
3. SMR DOW 24/6
Criteria for listing: architectural interest
Not listed
Criteria for listing: historic interest
Not listed
Evaluation
Overgrown ruins of a small church of possible late medieval construction. The ruin is surrounded by a small graveyard with the earliest legible head stone dating from 1724.
Nearby in the register
- 17 Lower Clay RoadHouseunder 1 mi
- Archway and adjacent buildings at 'The Fort'Officeunder 1 mi
- Moor Hall (with gates and outbuildings)Houseunder 1 mi
- Toye HouseHouseunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.