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Graveslab in Garrylaun

Graveslab

What is recorded here

Graveslab in Garrylaun holds the oldest known English inscription in Ossory, marking John Morris and Katherine from 1538. The stone may still lie buried or misread in the graveyard beside the church, its cross and worn letters waiting to be found again.
In the graveyard and, according to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 277), close the the SW angle of the C. of I. church, the latter being on the location of the medieval church (KK008-010001-). The graveslab is described by Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 277) as being, 'rectangular in shape, except at the top, which is curved. There is a raised cross down the centre, the arms being enclosed in a circle. The inscription is in raised Roman capitals, and begins at the base of the cross, under the left arm, and continues thence to the top, in two lines parallel to the shaft; it is then carried over to the upper corner of the opposite side, and is continued down the edge, to around the middle of the tomb, where it ends. the letters are much worn away towards the end, some of them being entirely obliterated. The full text of the inscription is as follows, the missing letters being supplied within brackets: "HERE VNDER LIETH THE CORPS OF IOHN MORRIS OF BANEBALLINLOGH WHO DECEASED IN ANNO. DO. 1538 [A]N[D] HIS WIFE KATH[ERINE]." This tomb is remarkable inasmuch as it is the oldest monument in Ossory bearing an inscription in the English language'. The slab is also mentioned in Cockerham and Harris (2001, 180). This graveslab is currently unlocated within the graveyard, although a smooth slab roughly in this location was noted during a field inspection in 1987. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of revised upload: 27 September 2017

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

What survives
Recorded monument

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