Carmavy Graveyard

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A walled graveyard containing three burial vaults and numerous headstones, with a gabled two-storey house abutting the south-east corner. Main entrance faces south.

Boundary walls are of basalt rubble and field stones with smeared and reticulated cement pointing, and an overhanging smooth cement rendered coping. Entrance gateway in south boundary is set in a concave recess and comprises a pair of tall circular rubble stone piers with humped smooth rendered caps, mounted with an original looped iron gate with ball-and-spike finials.
South boundary returns back at eastern extremity to abut a two-storey house.

Eastern boundary wall contains a rectangular enclosure projecting to the east, closed along the front by original iron railings on a low plinth wall; east boundary coping ramped up to enclosure, on north side; resumes at raised height on south side, except where broken by a gabled rectangular vault. Rear face of rectangular enclosure projecting to east has large basalt rock copings laid flat, overhanging slightly to the outside.

Ground level in graveyard slopes up at rear.

Graveyard contains a number of headstones of 18th, 19th, and 20th century date, some cast iron plaques of mainly 19th century date, and three prominent vaults (HB20/13/020A, B, and C). Earliest headstone noted is of 1703, at midpoint along western boundary.

SETTING: The graveyard stands in a very rural area, located in a field near a crossroads, surrounded by agricultural land, and faces onto a road. Abutting south-east corner is a caretaker's house, with a driveway on its east side leading to a yard at the rear of the house; garden beyond.

CARETAKER'S HOUSE (No. 30 Carmavy Road): A gabled two-storey house with a small gabled porch. Roofs of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; timber barge boards; walls smooth cement rendered, lined, and blocked, with rusticated quoins to extremities. Main entrance faces south.

Entrance elevation has three windows to first floor: semi-circular arched timber sliding sash, 1 over 1, with horns, but left-hand window replaced by 2-light fixed light; moulded arched stucco surrounds with faceted keystone.
Ground floor windows are rectangular timber sashes, 1 over 1 with horns, in moulded surround with similar keystones.

Main entrance is a rectangular glazed and panelled door, with bowed glazing, surmounted by a plain semi-circular fanlight, set in similar surround to windows.

West elevation is similar to east but has a small plain semi-circular window to the first floor, set in a similar surround to openings on entrance front; scalloped timber eaves board; cast iron downpipe.

Rear elevation has two first floor windows, rectangular timber sliding sash, 2 over 2 and 2 over 1, with horns, set in plain reveals; two ground floor windows, modern rectangular timber fixed lights and vents; rear doorway has a modern flush timber glazed door in plain reveals. Wall rendered with roughcast, with two smooth platbands; chimney on apex of gable, modern rustic brick with two modern pots. PVC extension to downpipe returning from side wall.

East elevation is similar to west but blank.

Historical information

A burial ground of uncertain age but some antiquity, in which memorial stones have been recorded from at least as early as 1696. It formerly contained the foundations of a church but they had been removed or lost from view by the early 19th century; reputedly destroyed in the rebellion of 1641.
Boundary wall and gateway are of uncertain date but they appear in the present configuration on the OS map of 1857. Caretaker's house built 1897-8 to the designs of Samuel Kirker C.E.; plans accepted for house on 10 January 1897; builder, Henry Thompson & Son. A predecessor is shown on the OS map of 1832-3.
The graveyard and house have no connection with any church or body other than the graveyard committee.
The graveyard was noticed in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs in the 1830s as follows: "It is said to be, and evidently is, from the manner in which the graves are piled on each other, of very great antiquity. Within memory the foundations of a church stood near the centre of the burial ground, but all trace of them has for many years been obliterated. The burial ground includes a quadrangular area of 57 by 54 yards, and is well enclosed by a good stone and lime wall, with an iron gate… The oldest tombstone bears the date of 1696 and another that of 171 … the respectable family of Shaw, formerly of Ballytweedy House, in the parish of Killead, and still the proprietors of the grange, and the family of Thomas Ludford Stewart of Belfast, Esquire, have handsome vaults here. There is a tradition in some of the neighbouring districts that this church, as also those of Dundesert and Ballykennedy in the parish of Killead, were burned and battered down upon the rebels who either took refuge or made a stand in them in 1641."
The graveyard is an historic monument, no.ANT55:47.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1832-3, Co Antrim 55 (graveyard indicated).
2. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 55 (present front boundary wall and gateway shown).
3. Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Vol 35: Parishes of County Antrim XIII, 1833, 1835, 1838 (Belfast, 1996), p 4.
4. W. Reeves, Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore (Dublin, 1847), p 181.
5. Information from secretary of the graveyard committee in 2000.
Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, West Antrim (Belfast, 1970), p 12.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a graveyard of at least 17th century origins, which contains two mausolea of special architectural interest, but whose boundary walls and gateway are not of any special significance.