Chancellors House (in ruins) — Cathair Deargáin Thuaidh

National Monument No. 10048. The Early Christian and Medieval ecclesiastical complex at Kilmalkedar (KE042-026----) lies at the foot of the W slopes of Reenconnell hill, overlooking Smerwick Harbour. The Reenconnell ridge peaks at 907 feet/276m to NE of the site and the area around Kilmalkedar is sheltered on its N and S sides by spurs of this hill. (9) The Chancellor's House/Fothrach an tSainsiléara (Fig. 189): This rectangular building is situated on sloping ground c. 400m SSW of the Romanesque church at Kilmalkedar, in the townland of Caherdorgan North. The Chancellor of the diocese of Ardfert had as his prebend the rectory of Kilmalkedar (Cal. doc. Ire., 1302-1306, V, 297) and may have resided here in medieval times. The walls, raised on boulder foundations, are built of split stone and rubble bonded in a loose clay, and the remains testify to much structural alteration. The building, 17.6m in length internally, is subdivided by a cross-wall fitted on its W elevation with a fireplace and outshot oven. The W chamber, with a floor level below that of the E chamber, is 5.1m wide internally; however the width of the E room was reduced to 3.96m by the construction of a later N wall butted against the E gable. The present entrance to the building is through a doorway in the S wall of the E chamber; the opening now lacks its head and rear arch, and the rubble jambs are rebated internally for a door. There is an opposing doorway in the N wall, 1.32m in height, its lintelled head retaining the pivot hole for the door. The chamber was lit by a double-splayed rectangular light in the S wall; the lintelled head is pierced to accommodate a shutter. The E gable, preserved to a height of c. 2.1m, has an internal offset at a height of 1.8m, surfaced by large flags which oversail the lower courses. This feature, repeated at a similar level on the W gable, may indicate that the building had a loft storey. There is a wall cupboard at the S end of the E gable and the remains of the original NE quoin preserve the ingoings of a similar feature. A defaced recess at the W end of the N wall may also have been a wall press. The internal dividing wall exhibits many signs of patching and rebuilding, rendering interpretation difficult. There is a break in the masonry visible on the E elevation, and the walling N of this (in effect the fireback) has a shallow offset at a height of .85m. The communicating doorway between the E and W chambers, situated at the S end of the cross-wall, has been reduced in width and height by the addition of flimsy walling against the N splay; the present opening is little more than a creep-hole. The original lintelled and stepped entrance was rebated for a door which closed against the E chamber; the upper pivot stone for the door survives. The S ingoing, fitted with a curious semi-blocked recess, has also been modified or rebuilt; there is a break in the masonry visible on the internal and external wall faces here. The N and S walls of the W chamber have been largely rebuilt; the present N wall, c. 1.1m high, has been raised on the projecting footings of the original wall, partly obscuring the ingoings of a paved entrance. There are wall cupboards at the S and N ends of the E gable; the latter, spanning the angle, is of an unusual domed form. The lintelled fireplace in the W wall has also been partly refurbished, the walling which supports the S side of the lintel being a later insertion. Two voussoirs incorporated in the chimney breast indicate that the original opening was higher and wider. There is a wall press in the SE angle of the fireback and a low lintelled opening, set back from the NE angle, gives access to the stone-built oven. The latter, 1.7m in diameter and .6m high internally, has a domed ceiling. Much of the stone work is spalled due to firing. Externally the oven, projecting beyond the N wall of the building, had a corbelled roof, probably butted in part against the fallen NE quoin of the W chamber. No differentiation has been made on the accompanying plan between the various building phases. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 855. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 8 August 2013