What is recorded here

Indicated marks the surviving L-shaped boundary of a Dominican friary in County Meath, dividing five acres into two fields within the town. At suppression in 1540 the precinct held an orchard, garden, cemetery and pasture beside the house wall. The northern section still shows an inner bank, a water-holding fosse and an outer bank, preserving the line between sacred ground and ordinary land.

The Dominican friary (ME036-048022-) has some relict field banks attached to its precinct which are depicted on the 1836 edition of the OS 6-inch map. In the extent of the Friary at its Suppression in 1540 the site of the church and cloister are described with ‘an orchard, garden and cemetery’ covering about four acres, and ‘a close of pasture adjacent to the wall of the house’ containing about 3 acres (White 1940, 308-09). The surviving area of about 5 acres (c. 2 ha) around the friary is divided by an L-shaped boundary into two fields and forms a park within the town. The boundary separated the church precinct from other land and is best preserved at the E end of the N section where it consists of an inner earthen bank (Wth of base 7m; H at S 0.6m; ext. H 0.8m) at S separated by a fosse (Wth top 4.2m; Wth of base 1.5m; ext. D 0.9m at N) often retaining water, from an outer earthen bank (Wth of base 4m; ext. H 0.5m at N). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 July 2019

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