Old Church

In 1622, the parish church of Taughboyne was 'decayed and the reedifying of the same has been stayed by Sir John Stewart Kent, who obtained a warrant at the Council Table to build a new church, himself laying out £100 towards the building ... at St. Johnstown which church should be finished this midsummer 1622, but is not above the side walls yet' (Royal Commission, 213). As 'the parish church was repaired in 1627, by the rector, Thomas Bruce, it would appear that the church at St. Johnstown remained roofless. A tradition to this effect was recorded by Fagan in 1846 (Bk. 11, 7-8). The walls of the ivy-covered, equal-armed, cruciform church 18.9m × 6.4m internally are built of rubble, survive 1-2m in height and are .77m thick. Only a small section of the S wall of the E arm is visible. Two opposing gaps in the N and S walls of the transepts are probably the remains of windows. The splayed ingoing for a window survives in the E wall of the S transept; an ash tree is growing in the middle of the window sill. The interior is very overgrown and successive burials have resulted in varying ground levels both within the church and in the graveyard (DG063-003002-) around it. The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Date of upload: 22 September 2008

Sir John Stewart Kent built the new church at Saintjohnstown in the early 17th century, replacing the decayed parish church of Taughboyne; dedicated to St John, it reflects early modern ecclesiastical architecture and signifies the re-establishment of parish life in the area.