Church in Leixlip

In a graveyard (KD011-004006-) just N of the confluence of the Rye Water with the River Liffey. According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 3, 312-18), the church of St. Mary of Hernie was granted by Adam de Hereford to the Abbey of St. Thomas in Dublin before 1212. In the ecclesiastical taxation of 1302-6, a moiety of the church of Leixlip was valued at 100s. The church was looted by Bruce's army in 1317. In 1463, the full tithes of the church of Blessed Mary of Leixlip were restored to St Thomas' Abbey, and remained in its possession until the Dissolution, after which the tithes were held by Nicholas Stanynghurst. The rectory was leased to Richard Manwaringe in 1567, surrendered by his widow in 1584, and subsequently leased to James Ryan. The visitation of Archbishop Buckley in 1630 noted that the church and chancel at Leixlip were ruinous. According to parish records, a major restoration commenced in 1675. A 13th century, rectangular, nave (int. dims. L 16.65m; Wth 7.95m; wall T 1.13m) and chancel (int. dims. L 9m; Wth 6.18m; wall T 0.83m) structure with a plain chancel arch (Wth 6.17m) is built of roughly coursed limestone blocks, and has a 15th century, four-storied, rectangular tower (int dims. L 3.5m; Wth 3m; wall T 1.25m), built of regularly coursed undressed limestone blocks, attached at W. A modern porch has been added at N. The remains have been substantially rebuilt; walls raised in height and fragments of earlier windows and doors incorporated in the walls. The steep pitch of an earlier roof line is visible in the E wall of the tower and in the E gable of the nave. The nave is entered through a modern doorway (Wth 0.93m) at the E end of the N wall, and an earlier, blocked, pointed doorway, with chamfered sandstone jambs, is visible mid-way along the wall. A splayed, flat-arched doorway (ext. Wth 1.57m; int Wth 1.71m) in the W gable gives access through the tower, and a blocked, splayed slit above opened into the tower. The nave is lit by two modern, pointed windows in the N wall, which also contains a blocked rectangular window, and by three round-arched and one pointed-arched window in the S wall, which also contains the jambs of a large, blocked window near the W end, and a blocked slit window near the E end. The chancel is lit by a modern, round, twin-light window in the E gable wall and by a modern, round-arched window in the S wall, which also contains a blocked, single-light, ogee-headed window, a carved head (KD011-004012-) and a 17th century graveslab (KD01-004010-). There is a blocked, modern, round-arched window in the N wall, which also contains a small, blocked, pointed-arched window. There is a 17th century graveslab (KD011-004009-) in the chancel floor, and the N wall of the chancel arch contains a 17th century armorial plaque (KD011-004008-). The later tower is built against the W gable of the nave and has a projecting stair turret at the NW angle which is lit at each level by rectangular, double-splayed loops. There is a round-arched doorway (Wth 1.4m) in the W wall, with a doorway opposite into the nave. The ground and first floors are both barrel-vaulted and the ground floor has blocked double-splayed slits in the N and S walls. First-floor level (dims. L 3.34m N-S; Wth 3.2m) is accessed through a doorway with a re-used medieval graveslab (KD011-004006-) as a lintel, and is lit by a single-light, cusped ogee-headed window in the S wall and by a similar window in the W wall. The E wall contains a blocked slit which looked into the church, and there is a double-splayed slit in the S wall. There is a blocked-up fireplace with an overhanging chimney supported on a corbel in the N wall. Second-floor level (dims. L 3.46m N-S; Wth 3.09m; wall T 1.06m) is lit by single-light, ogee-headed windows in the S and W walls, and there is a partially blocked, pointed-arched opening in the E wall which looked into the roof-space of the nave. There is a fireplace canopy in the NE corner. A modern ceiling is supported on original corbel stones. Third-floor level (dims. L 3.6m N-S; Wth 3.08m) has a blocked rectangular window in the S and W walls, and a round-arched window has been inserted into the E wall. The modern roof is supported on brickwork and the wall-walk outside has a drainage course below the parapet (wall T 0.4m). The tower contains a font (KD011-004011-) on the ground floor, and there is a second carved head (KD011-004013-) at the W end of the stair-turret's N wall, and a third carved head (KD011-004014-) at the E end of the tower's N wall. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011