Church (in ruins) — Rathnaseer

Westropp (1904-5, 392) recorded the following details on Rathnaseer; ‘A merged parish. Rathnaseir, 1201-1204. Roger Waspayl granted lands between Rathgel and the great water of Del to Matthew, parson of Rathnesser, c. 1220 (B.B.L., p. 805); Rathnaser in termino Cragg, 1336; (Rental) Eccl. et capel pcentoris, 1418; Rathnasaor Cap., 1410; Ranasier, 1601; (Fiant, 6487). Fabric - An early church of well dressed gritstone, with nave and chancel, 37 feet [11.27m] by 23½ feet [7.2m] and 19 feet [5.8m] by 16½ feet [5m]. The west end is down; the east and south windows have round splay arches, each head being cut out of one stone, and the choir arch has fallen (O.S.L. 8, p. 180, T. O'Conor)'. Medieval nave and chancel church ruins described in 1840 as following; 'The old Church ruins here consist of a nave and choir, the former of which measures thirty seven feet [11.27m] by twenty three and a half feet [7.2m] and the latter nineteen feet two inches [5.8m] by sixteen and a half feet [5m]. The west gable has been entirely destroyed. On the east gable is a round topped window, built with chiselled brown stone and measuring seven and a half feet [2.2m] by four and a half feet [1.3m] inside. It is five feet [1.5m] from the round and measures three feet nine inches [1.14m] by four and a half inches [0.11m] at top and five and a half inches [14m] at bottom on the outside. The semi-circular arch at top is formed by one stone. At the distance of two feet nine inches [0.84m] from this gable, a window, now nearly defaced, is seen on the south side wall. It was built with the same kind of stone as the one on the east gable and is the same breadth with it on the inside and at the semi-circular arch on the outside, which still remain. The choir arch on the middle gable has been totally destroyed. Distant three feet [0.9m] from this gable on the south wall of the nave is another window which measures five feet [1.5m] by four feet ten inches [1.47m] and has a handsome round arch of brown stone on the inside. Only two stones of the same quality are to be seen outside. The side walls are about fourteen feet [4.25m] high; two feet eight inches [0.81m] thick and are built with lime stones of large size, irregularly laid. Cement was lime and sand mortar. The quoin stones of nave and choir are of the brown quality. There is a small graveyard (LI029-059002-) here much in use' (OSL, 61). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 22 January 2019