Graveslab in Fethard

Inserted into the base of the 13th-century tomb niche in the N wall of the former chancel of the medieval parish church of St John the Baptist (TS070-040001-), the nave of which is currently Holy Trinity C of I church. The complete slab is not visible, the upper portion being obscured by the Palliser vault which was crudely inserted in 1861. The limestone slab (L at least 1.7m; Wth 0.42m) is decorated in relief with a three-armed banded cross with fleur-de-lis terminals, though the upper fleur-de-lis is not visible. There is a three-barred knop on the cross-shaft beneath the band. The cross-shaft rises from a simple curving calvary mount. An inscription in latin, in Black Letter script, runs along the sinister border and the chamfered edge on the sinister side. It appears to read: EQO DORMIO ET COR MEUM UIGILAT CAM 5 ME FIERI FECIT D PAUL HAKET DICATUIS FID 1643. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 23 January 2012

A 13th-century Christian tomb slab, likely of local sandstone, incorporated into a medieval church structure; its significance lies in its reuse within the ecclesiastical context, reflecting funerary practices of the period.