Church (in Ruins) — Churchtown

St Cedus is the patron Saint of Churchtown and is commemorated on the 20th of November (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 174). A late medieval parish church ( ext. dims. L c. 16.2m, Wth c. 9m, wall T c. 0.85m) built of roughly coursed limestone. Remains of a doorway survive in W end of S wall. A window jamb, possibly belonging to the destroyed E window, lies in SW angle of church. Carrigan (ibid., 172-3) describes a late medieval doorway in E end of N wall, and within graveyard, a roughly cut circular greenstone font (Wth c. 0.3m, D c. 0.9m) (LA018-018003-) and a holed stone (LA016-018004-). These are no longer visible. Churchtown was appropriated to the Cistercian Abbey of Graiguenamanagh by William Fitz John. Bishop of Ossory(1302-17) and continued in the possession of the monks until the time of Henry VIII (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 174). Described by Carrigan in 1905 as a 'ruined structure..is a quadrangular building 53 ft. long externally and 29 ft. wide, and affords an interesting example of a most ancient church partially rebuilt and enlarged at a very remote date. The north side-wall, which is 10ft. High, and the west gable, are still most perfect; the east gable has a breach in the centre from top to bottom, but its sides remain, together with three not inconsiderable pieces of the south wall. In the north side-wall where the altar stood, is a doorway closed up for centuries, yet still preserving all its distinctive features. It external sides are framed with reddish freestone, chiselled and chamfered; the top is round or rather slightly curved, and is turned with small rough stones. On the outside it is 6ft. 3 in. high to the spring of the arch or curve, and 9 in. thence to the apex; its width at the ground is 4 ft. 4 in., and at the springing of the arch 4 ft. Being thus of the Celtic pattern it belongs to a date not later than the 12th century. The north side-wall, from this door included to the west end, is all of the same age, strongly built and 34 in. thick;…. The south side-wall where it adjoins the west gable, to an external; length of 14ft. 3in., is only 31 in. thick and is of the same date as the opposite wall. Here was the public entrance door, now much injured, but which appears to have been the counterpart of the closed up door in the north wall, with this exception that its sides splayed towards the inside and not towards the outside. About 4 and a half ft. of the north side of the east gable, towards the centre, belongs to about the year 1400, when an ogee window, fragments of which lie around was inserted at the back of the altar. This window had a hood moulding, ending in two very rude carvings of human heads, which have been removed to Mr. Tarrant's premises in Castletown' (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 172-3). According to the Rental Book of the Earl of Kildare the 'Vicar of Chircheton [Churchtown] iiiid. Of every cow, a swyne of every croo of swyne, and a mutton of every croo of shepe belonging unto him' (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 174). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 17 December 2007