Historic Buildings Record · Northern Ireland
Maghera old church
Carnacavill, Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland
The record
- Designation
- Record only (not listed)
- Grade
- Record Only
- Type
- Church
- Date of construction
- Pre 1600
- Address
- Maghera old church, Carrigs Road, Carnacavill, Newcastle, Co Down
- Townland
- Carnacavill
- Council
- Newry, Mourne and Down
- Country
- Northern Ireland
- Coordinates
- 54.23769, -5.89628
- Date of survey
- 18 January 2000
- HB reference
- HB18/13/002
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
Ruins of a medieval church, with accompanying graveyard. The ruin is set to the E of the Carrigs Road, with the present (C of I) parish church to the immediate W and the stump of an Early Christian round tower to the NW.
The ruin is basically rectangular, measuring c.15m x 7.5m, and rubble constructed. It stands within a roughly circular (rubble) walled enclosure. The W gable and N wall are still standing. The gable has a central pointed arch entrance door (unblocked during conservation work in the 1970s) and the N wall has an, almost central, high level semicircular arched window.
The ruin is surrounded by a graveyard which contains at least two pre-Norman cross-carved stones, but is mainly filled with late 18th and 19th century head stones.
The stump of the round tower lies at the corner of a field to the NW of the church ruin. It was largely blown down in a storm of c.1714 and now stands at roughly 5.5m tall, with a large hole in the masonry to SE.
Historical information
This church is believed to date from the 13th century. It was probably built as a replacement for an Early Christian church which may have been located closer to the round tower. The church was in ruins in 1657. In 1825 the present church was built. The round tower was blown down in a storm c.1714, but the masonry was apparently so well bonded that the tower lay on the ground as a hollow cylinder for some time.
The church and the round tower are now Historic Monuments in State Care. (SMR DOW 43/85)
References- Primary sources
1 Walter Harris, ‘The ancient and present state of the county of Down’ (Dublin 1744)
Secondary sources
1 ‘Archaeological survey of Co. Down’ (Belfast HMSO 1966), pp.306-307
2 EHS Records of the first survey of buildings of historical and architectural interest in Tollymore ward (1972-)
3 P.J. Rankin, 'Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the Mourne area of South Down', (Belfast UAHS 1975), pp.44-46
4 ‘Historic monuments of Northern Ireland…’ (Belfast, HMSO, 1983), p.94
Criteria for listing: architectural interest
Not listed
Criteria for listing: historic interest
Not listed
Evaluation
Ruined remains of a church of probable 13th century origin which the stump of an Early Christian round tower close by. The church is surrounded by a graveyard which contains some pre-Norman grave slabs.
The church and the round tower are now Historic Monuments in State Care.
Nearby in the register
- Maghera Parish ChurchChurchunder 1 mi
- Church HillHouseunder 1 mi
- FLAX MILLMILLunder 1 mi
- 1 Church HillHouseunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.