Wall monument in Limerick City,englishtown

15th century wall monument in S transept of St. Mary's Cathedral (LI005-017015-) described in the Urban Survey of Limerick (Bradley et. al. 1989, 316-7) as following; ‘Bultingfort and Galwey. Large tomb niche consisting of a cinquefoil arch rising from piers with a pedimented hood above, richly and moulded and terminating in an elaborate finial. There are three armorial tablets, one of Bultingfort and two of Galwey. An inscribed panel is set into the wall at the back of the niche and is badly damaged. Gothic lettered inscription: [HIC IACET IN] TUB[A ... VENER]ABILIS [V]IR RICARDUS/ [BULTIG]FORT QUODA ... CIVITATU LIM[ERICI ET]/ CORCAGIE Q [OBI]IT .... ANO DOI MCCCCV .... / HIC IACET ... VENERABILIS VIR GAL[FR]IDU[S]/ GALVEY QUODA CIVIS [CIVI]TATU LIMERICI CORCA[GIE ET]/ VATFORDIE Q OBIT ... DIE JANUARII ANO DO MCCCCXL.. [E]DMU/ DUS FILIUS TALIS GA[LFR]IDI ET MARGARETE FILIE TALIS RCI BULTIGFORT/ ISTA TUBA FIERI [FECER]UT In 1907 this wall monument was described by FitzGerald (1910, 133-5) as following; 'The Galwey Monument in the South Transept. ' The following description of this interesting monument is taken from an account of it written by Mr. T. J. Westropp in the "Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland" for 1898, consecutive volume xxviii : 'About the middle of the fifteenth century, Edmund, son of Geoffry Galwey, and Margaret, daughter of Richard Bultingfort, erected a handsome tomb in memory of their relatives in the south transept. The monument consists of a low, cinquefoil arch, the cusps of which enclose triangular designs of foliage, while their points ended in leaves. It rests on octagonal piers of clumsy design, two on each side, and has a lofty angular hood richly crocketed and moulded, and ending in an elaborate finial. To each side a buttress with a rich terminal rests on a corbel adorned with a small angel holding a blank shield. ' Three armorial tablets are set in this monument; the first, in the tympanum above the recess, has the letters "S.R.B." (Scutum Ricardi Bultingfort), and, below this, the arms, a fess engrailed with a label of five points in chief. The second, to the left, "S.G.G." (Scutum Galfridi Galwey). Arms, for Galwey—A cross, over it a bend, impaling a double eagle displayed. The third, to the right. "S.E.G." (Scutum Edmundi Galwey). The Galwey arms, impaling for Arture a chevron between three clarions. There are traces of dark-red and blue-grey paint on these carvings. Of a much later date is a tablet overhead ; it displays as crest the chained cat of the De Burghos. Arms quarterly :— 1st—Galwey. 2nd—A double eagle displayed. 3rd—Baltingfort. 4th—Ball's Bridge. 'Below it, in strangely combined capitals LVMNIA (sic) QVAE LECTOR TVI (sic) CERNNVT (sic) HISCE IOHANI MVRIS SCVLPTA SACEIS QVADRAT INSIGNIA GALWEY. [I.e., Reader, what thy eyes behold graven on these walls are the armorial bearings of John Galwey.] A long tablet is embedded in the back wall of the recess. The middle is much injured; Ireton's soldiers are reputed to have defaced it out of hatred to Sir Geoffrey Galwey, mayor of the city in 1652. It is most improbable that Puritans who spared the shields, and still more the figures, of angels on the corbels and the crosses on the sedilia, deliberately defaced an unobtrusive black-letter inscription which probably none of them could read. More probably the heat of a memorial lamp hanging in the recess injured and cracked the tablet. 'Mr. Westropp adds that an inventory of Geoffrey Galwey's goods was taken on January 5th, 1445, and his Will was proved seven days later, so that his death took place between the 1st and the 5th of January in that year ; he had live sons, viz, :—Richard, Geoffry, Edmund, Walter, and William; the second son, Geoffry, was ancestor of the Galweys Baronets. The Richard Bultingfort mentioned in the first half of the above inscription was married to Katherine Roche, who proved his Will before Bishop Cornelius O'Dea on the 1st August, 1406. The Will was dated the day after either the 1st or 8th of March (i.e., the day after the Feast of St. Senan), 1405'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 15 November 2019