Wall monument in Gowran

Fixed to the E wall of a 17th-century mortuary chapel, attached externally to the S wall of the nave of the 13th-century church of St Mary’s (KK020-060006-) in Gowran. A rectangular polished limestone Renaissance wall monument (H 3.9m; Wth 1.99m) surmounted by a rectangular frieze with cornice (H 0.69m) and inverted shield pediment (H 0.63m), the latter with an armorial shield within impaled with the arms of Kealy on the dexter side and Hackett on the sinister side. It rests on a plinth with projecting piers, now missing, and moulded cornice and base, which in turn rests on an altar-type base (H 0.85m; Wth 1.99) with moulded altar top and plinth. The inscription, in English in raised Roman capitals, is on a recessed plaque in the centre of the monument. It reads, ‘HEERE LIETH THE BODIES OF M[R.] PEIRS KEALLY SOMTIME OF THE TOWNE OF GAWRAN, BVRGES. DIED THE 1 DAY OF THE MONTH OF JANVARY ANNO DOMINI, 1648, AND OF ALSON, HIS WIFE, DAVGHTER TO NICHOLAS HACKETT, GENTLEMAN, WHO DIED THE [ ] DAY OF THE MONTH OF [ ] ANNO DOMINI 16 [ ]’. Also incised below this in upper and lower case script, in four lines, is, ‘Rest together the wish of man and wife: To rest intomb’d resembeling theire past life. Though death subscribed to theire divorce: Theire remnants wall’d are from divisions force’ (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 408). The recess is square with a semi-circular head. On either side of the head there is an armorial shield, on the dexter side the Kealy arms, wavy, on a chevron, three cantons and on the sinister side the Hackett arms bearing three hakes (Carrigian 1905, vol. 3, 407). The central recess was framed by a projecting pier on either side, that on the dexter side is missing, and surmounted by a moulded entablature, the frieze of which is missing. A similar wall monument (KK020-060033-) is located within the church, at the E end of the N aisle of the nave. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 18 September 2019