Church (in Ruins)

A roll dated 1352 records the 'church of Baledwenii/Baldewynii/Baldewynye' (Bodenstown) as belonging to the priory of Connell and it was still recorded as a possession in an Inquisition of 1606 (Price 1953, 200-01). According to Sherlock (1909-11, 223), '… church, chancel and books (were) in good order about the year 1612 when Bodenstown was held along with the vicarage of Clane by John Golborne, Bishop and Archdeacon of Kildare.' In the N sector of a graveyard (KD014-041002-). A fairly poorly preserved, ivy-clad, rectangular structure (int. dims. L 16.4m E-W; Wth 6.6m N-S) comprises the N, S and W walls of a nave, standing to full height and built of roughly dressed, uncoursed limestone, and the grassed-over foundation wall line of the E gable wall. A slightly raised, grassed-over area (L c. 7m E-W) immediately to the E is the site of a probable chancel, which appears to lie slightly off-line, to the S of the line of the nave. The nave is entered through a nice, round-headed doorway (Wth 1.05m; H 1.68m), with beam-slot hole inside the N jamb, to the N of centre of the W gable wall, which is surmounted by a bellcote. The nave is lit by a round-headed window in the W gable wall and by two, narrow windows in the S wall; one round-headed and the other square-headed. The nave contains fragments of a font (KD014-041003-) and Wolfe Tone's grave abuts the S wall. (Killanin and Duignan 1967, 228-9) Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

The church at Bodenstown was originally built as a possession of Connell Priory and is recorded as early as 1352. Its dedication and architectural style are not specified, but its significance lies in its historical association with the priory and its continued listing in 17th-century records.