What is recorded here

Walter Wellesley died in 1539 and his broken tomb fragments sat embedded in a graveyard wall for centuries before men carried them into Kildare Cathedral in 1971. The bishop still raises a gloved hand in blessing beneath angels carrying his cross-marked shields, while dragons, saints and grotesques crowd the limestone edges. A chubby sheela crouches under the top corner, legs bent and navel shaped like a downward boomerang, as if guarding the dead man’s feet from the living world.

This is the original location of the 'Castledillon Stone', a very fine 13th century effigial slab of limestone now in the Market House in Kildare town - see KD022-029073-. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

Effigial tomb; medieval period (13th century). Its significance lies in the presence of the well-preserved effigial slab, which provides insight into medieval funerary art and burial practices in Ireland.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.