Rossaneny (Roscon) Graveyard, Parish of Windgap, county Kilkenny

Blink and it is easy to miss Rossaneny (also spelt Rossoneany) graveyard; the area is known locally as Roscon.   It is not easy to find even when you know what you are looking for.  This is a remote and very abandoned graveyard about a mile and a half outside Windgap on the Cotterstown Road.  There is no sign post, no gate and no obvious entrance as the way in is only guarded by a bit of string tied between two bushes and a bit of wood.   The intrepid Bernie took all the photos.

It is all very unkempt, overgrown and uneven underfoot.  There is a small ruined church on the site with a doorway in the middle of the south wall.  There is also a small primitive altar within the church ruins.  

The ruin can not be seen from the road; indeed the whole graveyard can not be seen from the road although in fact it is very close to the roadside.
Carrigan (History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory, 1905) says there are only one or two inscribed stones in the graveyard which date from the beginning of the 19th century. We only found one inscribed stone and it dates from the last years of the 18th century.

This handsome headstone still stands erect.  It has a decorative IHS with a cross at the top of the stone, with a sunburst design and two ciboria or chalices on each side of the design; you can not see this fine carving work from the photo above as the weather is doing its worst.    The incised carving below the decorative top reads " God be merciful to the soul of Richard Murphy who depd (departed) this life the 19th June 1792.  Erected by his wife Margaret Murphy alias Kelly".
This headstone would have been expensive in its day.  It is carved from local limestone and is now covered with beautiful lichens.  We have used very finely ground cat litter to highlight the letters on the inscription to enable us to read them and a very soft brush to gently brush and blow away all the cat litter to restore the stone to its original state, leaving it as we found it.  The wording on the headstone is typical for a Catholic family at the time.
Apart from this one inscribed slab there are many uninscribed grave markers which record burials and mark the last resting place of unnamed, but no doubt loved, former residents of the surrounding area.

For those interested in their genealogy the nearby Windgap graveyard has the following two Kelly inscriptions which link to Rossaneny.  All spellings are as recorded on the stones
" Erected by Thomas Kelly of Rossenany in memory of his mother Catherine Kelly alias Quan who died in April 1847 aged 40 yrs.  His uncle Martin Quan died 1852 aged 70 yrs. Also Mary Quan alias Power wife of Martin Quan who died in July 1869 aged 80 yrs".
"Erected by John  Kelly of Rossenena in memory of his father Pierce Kelly who died Feb 21st 1843 aged 71 yrs.  Also his mother Catherine Kelly alias Hawe died April 30th 1847 aged 74 yrs".


Other memorials in Windgap graveyard which mention Rossaneny are for the names of Brophy, Downey, Mackey, Phelan, Prendergast and Ryan.   There is one Murphy headstone which mentions Rossenena but it is late (1960s).   There are two stones in Windgap  graveyard which mention Roscon as a place of residence; these  are for the names of Healy and Quan. 

Dungarvan Graveyard, Parish of Gowran, county Kilkenny. Part 2. The New Graveyard

The newer part of the graveyard at Dungarvan is separated from the older part of the graveyard by a stone wall; it is lower than the old graveyard.

When Bernie and I surveyed this graveyard in August 2014 there were then 109 memorials and we have recorded and listed them all. The graveyard is laid out in rows and in 2014 there were exactly 10 rows with headstones or memorials but many empty grass spaces between headstones where other memorials may later be inserted.   It is very strange but sometimes newer headstones can be more difficult to read than 19th century stones;  the reason may be that the cutting into the stone was not very deep in the first place and has been easily eroded or the modern stone or concrete has not weathered as well as the older stones.  There is a large stone crucifix inscribed "Eternal Rest Grant them O Lord" which stands slightly to the right of the burial places.     We will be happy to check out a memorial if you think you are related to someone buried here.  If you have a relation here in the New graveyard we would advise you to check out the index to the Old graveyard at Dungarvan as well as there is an obvious continuity of family names from the Old graveyard to the New.   This newer part of the graveyard at Dungarvan is attached to a relatively new Catholic church.

Index of Names appearing on memorials
Bennett, Bolger, Bonzie, Brennan, Bryan, Butler, Byrne, Byrnes, Carroll, Carter, Corrigan, Cottrill, Cullen, Dalton, Delaney, Doheny, Dowling, Downey, Drea, Dreelan, Dunphy, Farrell, Fenlon, Fowler, Galavan, Gibbons, Glendon, Gooderham, Goodwin, Gorman, Grant, Greene, Halligan, Hayes, Healey, Healy, Heffernan, Hennessy, Hickey, Hoban,  Hogan, Holden, Holland, Hoyne , Hughes,  M.A.K., Kavanagh, Kealy, Kelleher, Kelly, Kirk, Kirwan, Lacey, Leahy, Lennon, Long, Lyng,, Madden, Maddock, Maher, McBride, McCaffrey, McDowell, Moylan ,Mulroney, Murphy, Naddy, Nally, Nolan, O'Brien, O'Byrne, O'Connor, O'Dea, O'Donnell, O'Donoghue, O'Gorman, O'Mahony, O'Neill. O'Shea, Peters, Power, Quinlan, Sutton, Walpole, Walsh, Whelan.




Index of Places appearing on memorials


Albany, Analack, Athy, Australia, Bagnalstown, Ballacolla, Ballon, Bennettsbridge, Bohergaddy,  Bohernabreena Cemetery, Bramblestown, Callan, Cardiff, Carlow, Castlefield, Castlekelly, Cloghala House, Cloghalla,  Clochala, Clochilla, Cloughala, Coolkenno, Coolroe, Coppenagh, Dublin, (city and county), Dungarvan, Dungarvan village, Dunhill, England, Glen Terrace, Gowran, Gowran Rd, Graigenamanagh, Inistioge, John St (Waterford),  Kilkenny, Kilmacow, Kilmeadon, Kilmanaghan, Kilmanahan, Kilmanaheen, Knockmoylan, London, Lusk, Moonteenmore, Morpeth, Neigham, New York, Physicianstown,  Raheendonore, Raheenroache, Rahenroche, Scart, Springfields, St John's College, Sugarstown, Tramore Road, Tullaroan, Tullow, Upper Kilmanahan, USA, Wales, Waterford (city and county), White Park, Whitepark.






Index of Masons who have signed stones and memorials


Brenan of Bagnalstown, Brennan of Kilkenny, R.Dawson of Kilkenny, Doyle of Coolkenno and Tullow, M.D. Doyle of Carlow, Gargan of Kilkenny, Hughes of Carlow, McDonald of Dunbell, Molloy of Callan, Molloy of Callan and Tullaroan, Mullan, Mullen of Kilkenny,  J.Nolan of Ballon, Nolan of Ballon,  R.O'Keeffe and sons of Waterford, Walsh, Walsh of Carlow, Walshe, Walshe of Carlow, Walshe of Dungarvan, Walshe of Kilkenny.



List of Commemorative Stained Glass Windows in Catholic church and Sacristry.
In Church:-
Starting from the left hand side at rear of church and working towards the altar and then coming up the right hand side of church.


1. From Michael Murphy in memory of deceased members of his family.
2. From Patrick Glendon in memory of his parents Daniel and Bridget Dunne.
3. From Mrs Agnes Hoyne in memory of her husband James Hoyne. RIP.
4. From Nicholas Healey in memory of Catherine and Julia Healey. RIP.
5. From Mrs Thomas Greene in memory of her husband. RIP.
6. From Peter Murphy in memory of parents Andrew and Catherine (?) RIP.
7. Still to be read - left of Altar - difficult to access.
8. Mr Peter Murphy in memory of Patrick and Honoria Galvin.
9. Pray for the donor Thomas Maher.
10. From John and Margaret Moylan, Bramblestown in memory of Ellen and Edward. RIP.
11. By Mrs E Nolan, Analack and Jas Mulroney, Athy, in memory of parents.
12. Fowler family in memory of deceased relatives.
13. Mrs Long in memory of deceased relatives.






Commemorative windows in Sacristy:-


1. In memory of Denis and Mrs Moylan, Charles and Mrs Greene from the Moylan family.
2. In memory of Jeremiah and Johanna Gibbons.
3. In memory of Patrick and Brigid Gibbons from Sarah.
4. In memory of deceased relatives. The Maher Family, Dungarvan Village.
5. In memory of Catherine and Mary Whelan.
6. Pray for the donor of gable window - St John.
7. Pray for M.A.K,
8. In memory of James Bryan, Neigham.

Dungarvan Graveyard, Parish of Gowran, county Kilkenny. Part 1. The Old Graveyard.

This graveyard was in a very unkempt condition and proved quite a challenge to record with accuracy, which is what we aim to do.

 Many tombstones or memorials were completely overgrown by trees, brambles and briars; they were not easy to access and getting access to one stone, (no 106 on our list), in the end proved impossible due to the density of the trees and other bushes around it, although it appeared to be upright and would probably be readable if only one could get at it.

At least 10 headstones had fallen facedown and/or are smashed; there are a further 9 headstones very broken and damaged with only a few tantalising words visible.   There is one collapse altar tomb in need of attention (no 78 on our list).

There are at least 26 stones with dates before 1800 including a 1581 memorial by the Kilkenny mason, Walter Keren, which is in a very sad condition. Of the other two earlier stones one dates from 1740 (no 40) and another one from 1760 (no 77).  There are also 2 visible headstones with beautifully carved crucifixion scenes and passion symbols (no 3 dating from 1791 and no 15 dating from 1806).    There are 37 headstones with dates ranging from 1800-1840.

 There appear to be at least 6 broken medieval ledger slabs, one of which is being used as a top step down into the lower and modern graveyard.   Carrigan (History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory, 1905) described these as "about half a dozen coffin-shaped uninscribed slabs, all with incised crosses, and some with carvings in relief of human heads".   It is a relief that after more than 110 years we can still agree on the number of ledger slabs!

There is one beautiful, but primitively carved headstone, with the crucifixion scene which unusually includes two roman soldiers (no 3 - this is a Sherman stone and dates from 1791).  In the photo below you can make out one of the soldiers standing at the side of Christ crucified - he is brandishing a sword!

 No 15, dating from 1806, has fantastic iconography with very ornate passion symbols including a hammer and pincers; this stone belongs to the Nary family of Bramblestown.  You can just make out the pincers in the photo below.

 No 49 erected by Mylan of Bramblestown in 1801 has a wonderful carving on it of a devil with three horns and a snake curled up along the bottom of the crucifix also carved on the stone; strangely this stone faces west whilst most stones in the graveyard face east.   Priests are usually buried facing west so that on the day of the Resurrection they can rise and face their deceased congregation who are all buried facing east; however this Mylan stone does not commemorate a priest but has been erected by Edward Mylan for his wife Mary.  It was difficult to photograph due to its position, hidden in trees, but we hope to do a rubbing of this stone.


We surveyed the Old Graveyard in May and August 2014.   We recorded 143 memorials or grave markers.   We surveyed the New Graveyard for completeness in August 2014; at that time we recorded 109 memorials in the newer section, plus 21 stained glass windows in the new Catholic church and sacristy.  It is interesting to view the continuity of local names which appear in both the Old and New graveyard; they are obviously the same families and these old and newer memorials would allow serious genealogy to be done using the information from them.    The New graveyard seems to have come into use around about the late 1930s.  We intend to post this soon.


 The ancient Catholic parish church of Dungarvan was dedicated to St David.  It was in a ruinous state and taken down in 1811 to make way for a new Protestant church which itself is now a ruin.  It has proved impossible to gain access to the interior of the ruined church to check for any wall memorials which might still be there. Trees and bushes grow inside it in profusion and at the locked iron gate into the ruined church pigeon/rook droppings are about 6-8 foot high inside what would have once been the entrance lobby.  There is a stone above the door of the church which reads:- "Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth Peace and Goodwill Towards Men".   There is also an inscribed stone on the bell tower which is very high and difficult to read as the stone is corroded but records (we think) the consecration of the church and is signed with the name of The Revd Peter Roe, Vicar.  The Reverend Peter Roe was installed as Vicar of Dungarvan church on 28th December 1808 and resigned from this appointment in 1826.   He was also Vicar of Odagh, and Rector and vicar of Coolerahenn.  He was born in Gorey, Wexford in 1778 and died in 1841  He married in 1806,  Mary daughter of Arthur Gore of Kilkenny and had issue.    I wonder what he would think of his church now if he were able to return to see it...............

The most interesting, and sadly neglected, memorial is that of Donald mcPierce Archedekin, otherwise McOdo, or Cody of Cloghala.  It is broken and battered and sunk very deeply into the ground. It once stood within the old Catholic church along the south wall and is still in its original position but now exposed to all the elements.

 When the new Protestant church was build in 1811, this very old and venerable memorial, lay outside the protection of the new building.  It is showing signs of its age.  It is now so sunken in the soil that it is almost impossible to read the side panels which had symbols of the passion and the inscription "par me Walter Keren, mason 158 (1)".  As you can see from the photo above some sections of the memorial have been broken off.   Below is a picture of part of one of the sunken side panels showing very ornate decoration; this was a very expensive memorial in its time.

 There are Catholic and Protestant memorials in this graveyard.  We have a detailed map for the old graveyard and can check things out for you if you think you have relations buried here.  This graveyard has never been surveyed in detail before.

Index of names appearing on memorials in the old graveyard


Archer, Archdekin, Baron, Blanchville, Brenan, Brennan, Bryan, Bulger, Butler, Byrn,  Byrne, Cain, Cody, Connell, Corbet, Corbett, Corbit, Costigan, Crawford, Croke, Culletomn, Delaney, Denissin, Dooley, Doolin, Doran, Dowlan. Drea, Dullard, Dunphy, Farrell, Fitzgerald, Fleming, Fowler, Gibbons, Glendon, Glindon, Gorman, Greene, Hayden, Henesy, Hennessy, Jens, Kearin, Kene, Keefe, Keeffe, Kirwan, Kirwin, Lambert, Lawless, Lawliss, Leary,  Lesser, Lyster, Magrath, Maddock, Maher, Mahr, McGrath, Meany, Millott, Moylan, Muldowney, Murphy, Mylan, Naddy, Nary, O'Bryan,  LP (initials only), Power, Quigley, Quinn. Rice, Roach, Roche, Roe, Ryan, Seigne, Shea, Shearman, Shee, Shortil, Tobin, Walsh, Whelan.

Index of places appearing on the memorials


Birmingham, Bishopslough, Blanchevilletown, Bohergaddy, Bonnetstown, Bramblestown, Callan, Castlegarden, Cellarstown,  Clohala, Clohilla, Coolatober, Crowbally, Dunbell, D(ungarvan), Dungarvan, Glasgow, Gowran, Graigue, Kilbricken, Kilbride cemetery, Kilbline, Kilmanahan,  Kilree, Lodge Hill cemetery, Moonteen, Moonteenmore, Neigham, Park, Raheenroche, Rathkyle, Scart, South Australia, Sugarstown, Towrhead, Tullow, Upper Grange, Wallslough, Wollengrange.

Index of masons who have signed memorials


Brennan, Royal Oak (nos 47,48,131)
Gargan Bros, Kilkenny (no 7)
Keren, Walter (no 58 and dated 1581)
Mullan, Kilkenny (no 36)

Castleinch Graveyard, Parish of St Patrick's, Kilkenny

Castleinch graveyard lies about 2 miles south of the city of Kilkenny.   For that reason you may expect to find memorials relating to merchant families who traded or did business in the city.   In old records Castleinch is known as Inchiloghan meaning O'Holohan's Inch or river meadow of O'Holohan.  It can also be spelt as Inchyholohan, Inchevolahane or Inchiholohan.  The old Catholic parish church that once stood here was dedicated to St David; this old church was taken down to ground level circa 1679 ( to go by the date on a now missing stone for a Cuffe vault ).   A new Protestant church was then erected on the site but this church itself is now completely ruinous.

The main Catholic families here were De Valls (Wall) and Comerford.  A William Comerford forfeited the lands herein 1653 and was transported to Connaught in 1654.   A Richard Comerford, Gent (gentleman) of Castleinch was outlawed as a Jacobite in 1691.    There are no Comerford  memorials visible but there are two early 18th century Wall memorials both referring to the Wall family of Castleinch.

The Estate was granted in 1666 to Joseph Cuffe,  the founder of the Desart family in Kilkenny and it is from this time that the name was changed from the Irish Inchiholohan to Castleinch.   Joseph Cuffe, a Cromwellian had the grant under the Acts of Settlement which included amongst other places,  Tullaghan to be know as Cuffe's Grove, (703 acres) and Lislonen, to be called forever Cuffe's Desert(476 acres) and Inchevolahane, to be called forever Castle Inch (936 acres).

This graveyard was surveyed by the Kilkenny Archaeological Society in 1971 but the total recording was incomplete.  At that time, a font decorated with stylised leaves was taken  for safety to Rothe House, headquarters of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society, as was an effigy of a monk which was found lying in the grounds outside the church.   Bernie and I surveyed this graveyard  in August 2013 and June 2015.  Both Catholic and Protestant families are buried here but new burials are rare.  There are 27 memorials in the graveyard and a further 5 in the ruined church making 32 memorials all together.    Plus the stone marking the entry to the Cuffe Vault which was not located.






The names of the people recorded on memorials are:
Baker, Barton, Blunden, Bowers, Boyd, Coningham. Crawford, Brodrick, Desert,(Earl of),  Elliot,  Hartford, Healy, Hogan, Humphrey, Hunt, Lambert, Madden, Meany, Minchin, Morrissey, Poe, Power, Richardson, Sandys, Shearman, Wall, Wilkinson, Wiltshire, Whitehead.

An index of the places mentioned on the memorials:-
Alnwick, Annagh, Antrim, Ballycastle, Ballyline, Cape of Good Hope, Castle Bamford, Castle Blunden. Castleinch, Cellarstown/Cellerstown, Cuffesgrange/Cuffes Grange, Desert, Ennisnag/Ennisnagg,  Galway, Gort, Grange, Jerpoint, Kilcreen, Kilkenny, Kilkenny city, Lower Ormond, Maiden Hall Northumberland, Oldcourt, Patrick St (Kilkenny), Piltown, Rathculbin, Troyswood, Tyaquinn, Waterford (city), Waterford road.

Within the chancel of the ruined church is the following memorial
"To the pious memory of Joseph Cuffe of Castle Inch Esqe who departed this life on Christmas day between 9 and 10 in the morning in the year of Our Lord 1679 aged 58 years".   This is described as of black marble between two black and white cothinian columns adorned with his coat armour. It is now in a parlous state and on the point of collapse; it is hard to make out the fine carvings..  However this memorial had much to impress the onlooker - a scrolled pediment supporting female figures, swags of fruit supporting the coats of arms and a cherubs head at the base of the memorial; it is very elaborate.  The memorial is not signed by a sculptor but Homan Potterton  (Irish Church Memorials 1570-1889) states that this memorial may well have been carved by an Irish sculptor.




The baroque style elaborately carved memorial to Joseph Cuffe who died 1679.

Lodge's Peerage (Vol 4 page 57)  states that Joseph Cuffe of Castle Inch(sic) took up arms in 1649 under Oliver Cromwell.  He married Martha, daughter of Colonel Agmondisham Muschamp by whom he had 20 children.   He died at his seat at Castle Inch and was buried in a vault within that church which he had prepared for himself and his posterity upon the stone whereof is this memorial
"Here lieth the body of Captain Joseph Cuffe of Castle Inch to whom this monument doth belong. He departed this life the 25 day of December 1679 aged 58 years"   There is now NO sign of this stone nor of the Cuffe Vauilt which is stated to be within the church.  Interestingly this wife, who gave him 20 children,  does not get a mention on either of these Cuffe memorials but presumably she lies within the untraced Vault.  The fact that Joseph Cuffe built the vault within the church suggested that the Catholic church must have been taken down some time prior to 1679 and the new Protestant church erected at about that time, probably using the stones taken from the dismantled Catholic church.






Overgrown vault within the grounds - very difficult to remove the ivy to read inscription which reads "William Hartford Esq., of Grange....built this vault to entomb therein the body of Mrs Catherine Wilkinson, the mother of his wife Anne. She died September 10th 1797 aged 70 yrs".

                                           


All this is fairly typical for the new settlers to establish for themselves a prestigious burial place which amongst other things indicated their intention to stay and hold the land they had been granted.  The position of the untraced vault "within the church" is also typical as a memorial inside the church and near the altar was considered more prestigious than to be outside in the graveyard

A Wandesforde of Castlecomer Gravestone in London

Browsing through a useful old book published in 1872 called " A Collection of Curious and Interesting Epitaphs.....in the Cemeteries and Churches of St. Pancras, Middlesex"  I found the following entry relating to a Kilkenny family:-


In Memory of Anne, daughter of the Honourable Charles and Lady Sarah B Clarke Wandesforde of Castle Comer, Ireland and Kirklington Hall, Yorkshire; who departed this life on the 24th day of October 1836 aged 9 years.


This is listed as in the Church of St Michael's Highgate, North London.    Castlecomer is in the north part of county Kilkenny.   The Hon. Charles Clarke Wandesforde married in 1812 Lady Sarah Butler, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Carrick.  She died in 1838.  The above daughter Anne is not mentioned in the Wandesforde entry in The Landed Gentry of Ireland published in 1912.


A  useful memorial entry as it predates civil registration in England which started in 1837