Gowran graveyard, St Mary's Collegiate Church, Co Kilkenny. Part 2.

Amongst the very interesting memorials is an altar tomb dating from 1620 which has on the table top a carving of a skeleton divesting itself of its shroud as it rises from the dead, presumably on the day of resurrection; sadly; although dramatic this does not photograph very well   This is a tomb dedicated to the memory of Jacobus Kealy  and his wife Ellena Naish but her date of death has never been filled in.   One of the supporting stones at the end of the tomb has St Peter holding his key to the Kingdom of Heaven.

But look again: St Peter is smoking a dodeen.....presumably carefully carved sometime after the original carving was completed.....and when tobacco smoking with a dodeen (or pipe) was fashionable.......

Close up of St Peter circa 1620........smoking!

Quite close by is a renaissance monument decorated with two shields, one with two lions rampant supporting a castle for Kealy impaling three doves with olive branches in their beaks for Nash. The other shield has the same arms for Kealy but this time impaling a chevron between three roses for White. This is a highly sophisticated memorial and finely carved but the final dates have never been completed.  This reads " Here Lieth the bodies of Mr James Keally sometime of the town of Gawran gentleman who died ano dni 16(--) and of Mrs Ellen Nashe, his first wife who died the 30 day of the moneth of Jvly ano dni 1640 and Mrs Mary White his second wife who died the (--) day of the moneth of (----_ ano dni 16(--).  He erected this monument for himselfe, his wifves and children in the moneth of December ano dni 1646".  The follows a now almost totally  illegible verse "Both wifves at once alive he could not have. Both to inioy (enjoy) at once he made this grave"




Index of masons

John Bergin 44

Alex Ballantine, Dublin 222

Aileen Anne Brannigan 194

Brennan, Royal Oak 125,150

Coates, Dublin 226

Colles, Kilkenny 192

R.Colles 170

John Cullen, Royal Oak 129

Keeffe, Kilkenny 14346.

McDonald, Maddoxtown 76

Mullen, Kilkenny 199
Murphy, Wells 85

Nolan, Ballon 197

O'Shea, Callan 195

O'Shea, Kilkenny 47,65,80

O'Tunney (attributed to) 238

Smyth, Edward (attributed to) 225

Very elaborate memorial to James Agar who died in 1733 aged 63 erected by his second wife Mary Wemyss of Danesfort. Compare this to the memorial slab below which commemorates his first wife Susannah Alexander.



There is quite a lot to say about this memorial slab.  It is very plain indeed and note the spelling of here as heare.   The mason has cut fine deep lettering but some letters are the wrong way around such as the S in ESQr and the N in AND, although he does get the N correct in GENT; the two Ns in Susanna's name have been joined together,  The third line from the bottom DECEASED has been abbreviated as DED and the mason has then run out of space as the word THE has been carved with the T and the E carved as part of the initial H.  In all this seems a very inexperienced hand that has carved this memorial.  Also Susanna is memorialised, not in her own right but as the wife of one man and the daughter of another.  Susanna's memorial may be very plain as she produced no living children which would have been her main role in life.    The wording on the elaborate memorial to her husband is perfectly carved and reads:-

James Agar Esqr, son to Charles Agar of the City of York by Ellis his wife of the Ancient Family of Blanchville died the XXXth day of December MDCCXXXIII in the LXIIId year of his age.  By his first wife Susanna, daughter to James Alexander Esqr, he had three sons who died young.  He afterwards married Mary, daughter to Sir James Wemyss of Danesfort by who he had 7 children, 3 of which are here interred.  He acquired a plentiful fortune with a fair reputation. His disposition beneficient and humane gained him the desirable character of a tender husband, an indulgent parent, an affectionate relation, a kind master and a good neighbour.  His private charities were not few and the new building for the seat of his family together with the poor house of Gowran are instances of his public liberality, the former he began and completed, the later by him founded and endowed is since finished by the MOURNFUL RELICT who out of sincere respect to the WORTHY DECEASED has caused THIS to be ERECTED AS A MONUMENT TO HIS MERIT AND HER AFFECTION.



 

Index of stained glass window artists
Healey, Michael (of An Tur Gloine) 212
McGoldrick, Hubert V, (of An Tur Gloine) 223

Lieut Aubrey Cecil White died 1916.

An Tur Gloine, meaning The Glass Tower, was established in Dublin in 1903.  It was an important part of the Irish Arts and Crafts movement in the first half of the 20th century involved as it was with the concept of Celtic revival and the cultural search for a specific Irish identity. Michael Healy  was one of the first recruits; Hubert McGoldrick joined in 1920.  These are high class stained glass windows.  The above window is by Michael Healy and the inscription reads "York and Lancaster Regt. Be thou faithful unto death and I will give a crown of life. To the glory of God and in memory of Aubrey Cecil White, Lieut. York and Lancaster Regt who fell in action July 1st 1916 aged 20 while leading his men in the Battle of the Somme". 

Index of Occupations recorded on the stones

Attorney/Attorney at law 135,170

Constable 208
Forester 185
High Sheriff 226
Land Steward 179
Medical Attendant 222
Member of Parliament 203
Merchant 138
Military 166,167,212,215,216,221,226,227
National Teacher 199
Post Office Officer 162,167
Prebendary 214
Priest 26,35,38,39,40 71
Recorder 202
Rector/vicar 20,141,172,195,196,214,215,221
Revenue Officer 135,170
Sergeant 128,173,192
Treasurer 214


Recording the attainments and achievements of the deceased upon the headstone became important, particularly to the settler families, seeking to reinforce their position in society.  One such example is the family of Cuthbert who have a group of 6 headstones in this graveyard (Nos 166-171 inclusive) and from which it is possible to draw out quite an detailed family tree. Patrick Cuthbert is memorialised on his headstone "Sacred to the memory of Mr Patrick Cuthbert for many years Post Master of Gowran, he fulfilled the duty of his profession and employment during a lifetime of Honour, Honesty and Integrity. He died in the Honourable cause of  his King and Constitution in the 48th year of his age June 25th 1798. Reader Remark a Fond Father, a sincere friend possessed of a benevolent Heart to the distressed".   There are masonic symbols on the headstone.   This stone tells us quite a lot about Patrick;  his occupation, his allegiances, his character (or at least how the grieving widow wished it to be commemorated).   The date 1798 is absolutely critical and gives a clue as to why he died - Gowran is right on the border with Carlow, the place of terrible brutal fighting during the 1798 rebellion  There is a Kilkenny Marriage Licence dated 13th May 1780 for Patrick and a Margaret Agar.  According to these headstones there were three children of this marriage. A son Lieutenant Kingston Cuthbert (1787-1842), Emily who died aged 14 years in 1812, and James Cuthbert, recorded as an Inland Revenue Officer. James was married to Mary, daughter of Maurice Moran, Attorney of Castleville, Gowran.  Mary was born in 1800 and died 7th December 1883. Most of these Cuthbert stones have biblical quotations which would indicate this family belonged to the Protestant persuasion.  One of these headstones is signed by the mason Colles of Kilkenny.  In all a tremendous amount of useful genealogical information about the Cuthbert family.
A broken stone, now lying flat, within the unroofed section of the ruin commemorates a young man with a very strange sounding name. "Here lies the body of Mr Robert Bijar who departed this life ye 5th June 1756 aged 25".   This seems such an unusual name in Ireland but may be found in Dublin.  A Robert Bijar (obviously not our man here buried but possibly his father) subscribed to the book, The Natural History of Carolina by John Bricknell MD, published in 1737 in Dublin.  In fact Robert and Mary Bijar ran an East India Goods Warehouse in Abbey Street, Dublin.  In 1747 Mary Bijar advertised Chinese wallpapers as well as Indian silks, painted Indian calicoes, Indian dressing boxes, tea chests, Indian fans and Turkish coffees (Wallpaper in Ireland 1700-1900 by David Skinner. 2014 ).   All this seems very exotic indeed but portrays a very different side of Ireland in the 18th century.  According to Deeds found in The Registry of Deeds in Dublin, this Bijar family was in Dublin as early as 1712.
There is much early Catholic family history to be gleaned from the headstones in the exterior graveyard.   The family of Brenan/Brennan from Clara can be traced from several stones starting with a David Brennan who died in 1751 aged 72 years (born 1679) who married Mary Doran born in 1691 and who died 1755.   The father and mother  of Mary Doran who married David Brennan can be found on an adjacent stone - Mathew Doran ( born1657) who died 1745 aged 88 years and his wife Mary Comerford (born 1667) who died in 1729 aged 62 years. 
There are many Holohan stones here.  No 57 has a charming and unusual poem; the stone reads "Erected by Ann Holohan in memory of her nees (sic) alias Mary Griffin who departed this life April 20th 1811 aged 26 yrs. Dear Angles which (watch?) this sleeping dust, until Christ do come to rise the just, then may she awake in sweet surprize and in our Saviour's image rise".
Stone No 36 gives us a great deal of genealogical information "Here lieth ye body of ye R.F (Reverend Father?) Edmond Crow who having passed 36 years in a foreign country came to his native soil to join his remains with those of his grand-father and grand-mother Edmond Crow and Catherine Kavenagh, his father and mother Daniel Crow and Catherine Norris, his brothers Mich., and Pat Crow. He deceased Xber ye 28 1757 aged 68 yrs. Requiescat in Pace Amen. Think oft of death, love God. observe his law, conserve your soul and shun the serpent's claw. Pater + Ave."  The Edmond Crow commemorated on this stone was born in 1689 and presumably had gone abroad to study for the priesthood..  Both his parents and grandparents are mentioned taking the family back to about the 1630s.  This is very early information to have and this is the first time we have found the unusual verse here in Kilkenny.  There is a stylised serpent that runs around the interior of the exterior ruin........

Headstone No 138 is a damaged stone and  like many of the other stones very hard to read but the inscription is as follows:- "God be merciful to ye soul of Mr John Kinchela of the city of Kilkenny, Mercht decsd Novrb ye 5th 1761 aged 45 yrs.  Erected by Mr John Kinchela his son".   There follows a short verse "Remember man I am what thou shall be and as you are so .... I once like thee".  What makes this stone distinctive is a carved skeleton, in a coffin,  with very well defined details such as hip bones and rib cage, lying length ways along the bottom of the stone almost now hidden from view.  Momento is carved on the right of the coffin and Mori carved on the left (meaning remember death).

The blade of grass is just below his rib cage, his skull is clearly visible on the lower right side of the photo and his hips and legs extend out to the left side of the photo at the bottom; the skeleton is encased in a coffin but the mason had not signed his work.

Finally a reused and broken stone carved with loving care. Stone No 186 to the Whelan family "Sacred to the memor(y) of ....Elen Whelan of (Gowran?) who died Jan (...) the 5 1889 aged (...) Brid, Tom and Dan who died (.....)ry 1889, also their moth(er) Margaret Whelan died 1915 aged 47 yrs. RIP"

ADIEU