Doagh Graveyard

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An enclosed nineteenth-century graveyard, located to the west of the B59 (Doagh-Ballyclare Road). The graveyard is rectangular.

Plots are laid out on a grid with numerous nineteenth- and twentieth-century gravestones and family plots, many enclosed by ornate wrought-iron railings. There are two enclosed table tombs, one having wrought-iron railings over rubble stone plinth. There are the rubble stone remains of the medieval St Mary’s Church off-centre to north. The earliest legible gravestone noted is that of Anne Ferguson (c.1789 - 5 Mar 1829) but many other illegible stones appear earlier.

The graveyard is enclosed by rubble stone boundary wall with rubble coping, except for the road facing east elevation which is partially rendered with soldier coursed coping. Access is at southeast via a cast-iron gate supported on square basalt gate piers with yellow brick quoins and pyramidal concrete caps. Set at the periphery of Doagh Village with mature trees planted within the boundary to east and open countryside to west.

Historical information

The earliest legible gravestone is that of Anne Ferguson, (died 1829), but many other markers are illegible and appear of earlier date. The graveyard is shown on the first edition OS map of 1833. It is valued in the Townland Valuation of 1838 at £3.11s.0d. The graveyard is not captioned in the second edition OS map dated 1857. In the Griffiths Valuation it is noted as being under the ownership of the recently deceased Mrs Graham. The land is ascribed a value of £0.1sd while associated buildings under Mrs Graham’s ownership are worth £8.5sd

The name Doagh is derived from the Irish Word ‘Dua,’ meaning a high mound. The graveyard contains the thirteenth-century (or earlier) parish church of St. Mary’s, one of the earliest churches recorded in the parish, and possibly the site of an earlier monastic settlement dating from the sixth century. The earliest reference of St. Mary’s, Doagh, was in 1251 when Isaac, Bishop of Connor, bestowed the care of St. Mary’s, Doagh, on the clergy of Muckamore Abbey. It remained with them until Dissolution in 1537-1539. Rev. Robert Cox, in his history of the parish, says that St. Mary’s fell into decay, sometime after the middle of the 16th century, after which the parish of Doagh went without a church for some years. (Cox 13)

The enclosing boundary wall and gatescreen, which project into the road, were erected in 1873 by subscription:
“At a meeting convened by printed notice and held in Kilbride burying ground on Thursday 15th March 1873, the Rev F[rancis] C[harles] Young, Rector of the Parish [1864-1886], presided when it was unanimously agreed to build a permanent wall round said ground, and raise the amount for erecting the same from the persons who held burying ground in it. There was a committee of 20 persons appointed and the following persons as a sub-committee to carry out the work. Thomas Wilson, William Lawson, Alexander Gault, Rev. William Orr, David Craig and Rev. F. C. Young. Mr. Thomas Wilson was appointed Treasurer and Mr. William Lawson Secretary. There were 170 subscribers and the total subscription amounted to £93.3.0. Mr. A. Davidson & Bros. built the east, north & west walls of burying ground containing 106 perches, Irish at 7/6 per perch. £39.16.10. for coping the wall, 20 lineal Irish perches at 10/- per perch, £10.0.0. for front wall and pillars and coping stone, £15.0.0. [to] Mr. Riddle of Belfast for iron gate and lock £7.2.0. (paid.)
“Mr. Murdoch for Tardree coping stones £7.18.6. (paid)
“Mr. Robert McClelland for use of his field for masons, £1.4.0.
“Credit balance £9.1.6.” (Cox, p109)

Buried in the graveyard is Mr. William Galt, reputedly the first Sunday School teacher at Doagh. Rev. Cox wrote of him in regards to the opinion that Doagh was the site of the first Sunday School in Ireland, although Rev. Cox doubts the theory can be proven: “The facts are as follows: William Galt, who lived in Doagh towards the end of the 18th century was a man of literary tastes. During his early life he was a teacher, and being anxious to pass on to others something of the blessings arising from the possession of knowledge, he established in 1768 a library, known as Doagh Book Club [burned c.1798]. Shortly after this club was opened, he began to instruct the youth of the village and district. The subjects taught were, reading, writing, and arithmetic, after referred to as the bread and butter subjects. Since Sunday afforded the best opportunity for his work, that day was set apart for the undertaking. Such were the beginnings, according to the inscription on Mr. Galt’s gravestone in Kilbride Churchyard, of “the first Sunday School.” (Cox 53).

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/51/1 – First edition OS map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/51/2 – Second edition OS map (1857)
3. PRONI VAL/1/A/1/51 -Townland Valuation Map (1838)
4. PRONI VAL/1/B/1/17A&B -Townland Valuation Fieldbook (1836)
5. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/51A -Griffiths Valuation Map (1857)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/7A -Griffiths Valuation Fieldbook (1857)

Secondary Sources

1. Cox, Robert Roland. History of the Parish of Kilbride (Doagh, Co. Antrim: Self-published, 1959)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An enclosed graveyard located at the periphery of Doagh village, containing many handsome enclosures and stone grave markers, mostly dating from the nineteenth and early twentieth century. There are also a number of illegible gravestones of eighteenth century appearance, and possibly earlier as historical evidence suggests that the site has early origins and the remains of the thirteenth-century parish church of St. Mary’s are located within the grounds. It is not an appropriate subject for listing, being a collection of memorials and not a structure.