Graveslab in Callan South

Lying flush with the floor slabs in the centre at the E end of the chancel of St Mary’s church (KK026-010012-), Callan. A limestone slab, tapering slightly towards the base (L 1.71m; Wth at top 0.96m; Wth at base 0.9m), the upper portion of which has been cut across horizontally, just above the horizontal arm of the cross-head. There is a wide border (Wth 0.12m) around the top edge of the slab. The inscription, in Latin, in Black Letter script, must have started across the top of the slab, now missing, and ends on the upper sinister side, as transcribed by Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 299), ‘….de Velle loco’ which he translates as, ‘[Entrance to?] the De Velle burial-vault’. The slab is decorated in false relief with a seven-armed segmental cross with fleur-de-lys terminals. The fleur-de-lys terminating the horizontal arms extend into the border. Under the fleur-de-lys on the dexter side within the border there is a flower motif with an interlaced circle. There is a large square knop at the base of the cross-head. The wide cross-shaft rests on a stepped cross-base. On the dexter side of the cross-shaft there is shield outlined in relief with a Greek cross also in relief. Above this there is an interlace IHS in Black Letter script, with foliage emanating root-like from the base of the H. On the sinister side of the cross-shaft there is a shield in relief, the lower portion is very worn but according to Carrigan (ibid.) it is ‘charged with a chief indented’. Above this shield there is the word, ‘Maria’, in relief in Black Letter script. Stylistically this slab dates to c. 1550 (Cockerham and Harris 2001, 178). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 2 December 2019