Tomb — chest tomb in Callan South

Towards the E end of the N aisle of the nave, against the N wall of St Mary’s parish church (KK026-010012-). A limestone chest tomb carved consisting of a mensa (L 1.91m; Wth 1.03m; D 0.1m) decorated with a large IHS with cross pattée through the bar of the ‘H’ and has an inscription in Latin, in Black Letter script within the border around the edge of the mensa which continues in vertical lines on the sinister side of the top of the mensa . The inscription has been transcribed by Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 302) as, ‘Hic jacet celeberrimus Geraldus Comerford armiger quondā Regius Atturnaius Conatiae et Thomon[diae Secundarius Justiciarius Momoniae Secun] darius Barro Scaccarii et demum Capitalis Justiciarius predicate Momoniae e vivis ercessit apud CowInamuckie ī comitatu Waterfordiae 4 Novemr 1604 nec non illustrissimi Dni regis Jacobi secondo et Scotiae tricessimo septimo’ and translated by him as, ‘Here lieth the most celebrated man, Gerald Comerford, Esq., formerly Queen’s Attorney for Connaught and Thomond, Second Justice of Munster, Second Baron of the Exchequer and lastly Chief Justice of Munster aforesaid. He died at Cowlnamuckie, Co. Waterford, Nov. 4th 1604 in the 2nd year of the most illustrious King James, and 37th of his reign over Scotland’. The edge of the mensa has a small chamfer, then a straight edge before chamfering towards the base. It is slightly broken in several places along the front edge. The chest tomb rests on a chamfered pedestal with a straight edge at the base. The front panel (L 1.88m; H 0.6m) is decorated with symbols of the Passion within four flat-headed niches separated by fluted pillars, with a small interlace motif or flower within a lozenge at the base of each pillar. The westernmost niche contains, the five wounds represented by the hands, feet and pierced heart of the crucified Christ, with a cock on the sinister side and Peter’s sword on the dexter side. The next niche contains a plain cross resting on a skull and bone, with a crown of thorns around the cross-head and on the sinister side a hammer and nails and on the dexter side a seamless garment with three dice beneath it. The next niche displays a pincers, a ladder, an axe, a spear, a rush lamp?, thirty pieces of silver shown in two vertical lines, a sponge or cup on a staff and a sceptre of reeds (used to mock Christ). The easternmost niche contains a central scourging pillar with ropes twisted around it on the sinister side a scourge and on the dexter side birch twigs (used to beat Christ). It is in good condition, though there has been some surface spalling in the westernmost niche and there are two holes with metal protruding, possibly where the panel may have been displayed on a wall. The upper corner on the eastern end had been broken or cut off but is in its original position. The E side panel (Wth 0.69m; H 0.62m), which is cemented into position, is decorated with a shield with armorial bearings. The shield is described by Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 303) as, ‘quarterly, 1st and 4th a pile between two reversed; 2nd and 3rd a Greek cross between four swans.’ The W panel (Wth 0.89m; H 0.62m) is also decorated with a shield with armorial bearings. The shield is described by Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 303) as having, ‘a bugle horn, between three mullets, for Comerford, impaling a chevron between three pheons or arrow heads, for Walsh, and under all, the date 1604’. See attached photographs: KK026-010037-_01 Chest tomb - front panel, mensa and E side panel KK026-010037-_02 Chest tomb - W side panel KK026-010037-_03 Chest tomb - Front panel Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 1 October 2019