Boundary stone in Killinny

A roughly rectangular limestone boulder incorporated in a field boundary. The stone was recorded in 1867 (Graves 1867, 5-7). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 382-3) a, ‘memorial of the ownership of Killiny by the religious community of Kells has been handed down. This is a large stone, evidently a land-mark, at present built into a stile on the boundary fence separating Killiny from Newtown, but which formerly must have stood on a pier or base of masonry. It is smooth on one side, where it has the two following raised Old English inscriptions, of about the year 1500, arranged back to back, so that both must be read from opposite directions: prediu de kelles barron of erly. As the stone was originally set up, the former inscription, viz. Farm of Kelles [Priory], looked towards Killiny, the latter, viz. [Land of Sweetman], Barron of Erly, looked towards the adjoining townland of Newtown, in former times the property of the Sweetman family’. The somewhat worn inscription in Latin, in raised Black Letter script, is visible within slightly recessed rectangular panel set diagonally across one face of the boulder. See attached photograph: KK027-015----_01 Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 2 December 2019