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CIIC 297. Knockboy VI, Co. Waterford

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© 2016-06-01

© 2016-06-01

National Monuments Service Record Number: WA013-034014-

Site Type

Ecclesiastical (probably early)

Description

Site

The parish church of Seskinan (WA013-034001-) was probably built on the site of an earlier church. There were traces of an ecclesiastical enclosure in the field to the S and within the graveyard (Brash 1868-9, 127; Power 1898, 84), but this is no longer evident. There is also the site of Toberatemple Well (WA013-032001-) c. 250m to the W (Power 1898, 83). The church is an undifferentiated structure (int. dims. 22.2m E-W; 7.55m N-S) surviving complete (H of long walls c. 2.1-2.5m) with quoins and a double bellcote (now damaged) over the W gable. There are pointed doorways towards the W end of the N and S walls, with a stoup inside the S doorway and an aumbry at the E end of the S wall. Two ogee-headed windows, one above the other, are in the W gable, with another in the E wall, and there are two simple lights towards the E end of the long walls. All the embrasures are lintelled internally except the E window which has a flat arch of dressed voussoirs and ingoings. The square base of a font (WA013-034004-) is also located within the church (Power 1898, 83).

All of the lintels, except one over the N doorway, have ogham inscriptions (Brash 1868-9, 118-30; Macalister 1945, 286-9), and a seventh ogham stone is standing in the NW corner of the church. An eighth ogham stone, said to have also originated here, was recorded by Macalister (1907, 213; 1945, 289) at Salterbridge House, near Cappoquin prior to 1907 but it was missing when he returned in 1940.

Monument

1.20m x 0.20m x 0.18m (converted from Brash 1868-9, 125) This stone is the lintel of the lower window in the west gable.

Text

This inscription is in good condition and was read by Macalister (1907, 210). However, it is not clear if there is anything following the personal name, which may be hidden in the masonry. On a return visit in 1938, he found that the west wall was 'a dense mass of ivy, which entirely obscured' the stone and it's inscription (Macalister 1945, 288).

Transliteration

VORTIGURN

Translation

'of Foirtchern'

Commentary

  • The name VORTIGURN is a compound of OIr for 'on, over' and Welsh Gwrtheyrn (OIr tigern) 'lord' (McManus 1991, 105) and is also found in an inscription from Ballyhank, Co. Cork (CIIC 97: ...LL MAQI VORRTIGURN). In both instances the ending -GURN appears in place of an expected -GERN (McManus 1991, 7)

Locations

Found

Acting as inner lintel of the lower window in the west gable of the ruin of Seskinan parish church (Macalister 1945, 286) in the townland of Knockboy and barony of Decies without Drum.

Original

Find location possibly close to original site

Last Recorded

Still in place above the lower window in the west gable. The lintel and surrounding gable wall underwent stabilisation work by Tom Pollard and his team between 2018 and 2019 as part of the Knockboy Conservation Project, thanks to funding and support from the Heritage Office at Waterford County Council, the Heritage Council, the National Monuments Service and the Adopt a Monument Scheme. The present location of this stone may be accessed via the National Monuments Service Historic Environment viewer on www.archaeology.ie. (Publicly accessible. GPS coordinates -7.684968, 52.194711)

History of Recording

discovered in 1851 by G. V. du Noyer (Macalister 1945, 286). This and the six other ogham stones on site were recorded in 3d using photogrammetry by Simon Dowling, thanks to funding from the Heritage Council and support from Waterford County Council and Adopt a Monument Ireland Scheme.

References

Websites and Online Databases

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