What is recorded here

Mountnugent Lower preserves a small sandstone cross where a vanished church once stood, its crucified Christ carved in high relief with legs side by side rather than crossed. The damaged letters above may spell SJ, linking the stone to St. John the Baptist and the nearby holy well, while shallow grooves and outlining dots reveal the carver’s patient technique. It is not a grand monument but a intimate fragment of late medieval devotion, still touching the living through memory and craft.

In a graveyard (KK015-010002-) with an associated church (KK015-010001-) which is not visible at ground level. A sandstone cross (H 0.48m; Wth 0.28m) embedded in a concrete base (dims. 0.21m x 0.17m). It is described by Hegarty (1983, 553-6) as, 'intact except for some damage to the top left hand corner of the cross and also to the left leg of the figure. Letters appear to have been cut in the usual position on the top of the cross. What remains now seems to look more like I T or S J than INRI. If S J they could be connected with the patron of the locality, St. John the Baptist. The whole surface, apart from the figure, is somewhat haphazardly but quite elegantly tolled into shallow grooved strokes of different length. Still visible on the left side is a row of dots used to outline the figure: this gives a valuable insight into the carver's technique'. Carved on the cross in high relief (D 0.02m) is a figure of the crucified Christ (L 0.34m) with arms outstretched and legs side by side, not crossed (ibid.). The head is bare, the figure is wearing a loin cloth. Below the figure, partially covered by the concrete plinth, is an inscribed cross with expanded terminals (ibid.). The cross appears to date from the late medieval period/early 17th century. It may have been originally associated with the holy well, c. 26m SW of the graveyard. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 23 February 2016

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