Tomb — effigial in Barrysfarm

Standing in the NE corner of the church (LI032-147002-) belonging to the Hospital of Aney or the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem is the effigy of an Anglo-Norman knight believed to be the figure of Geoffrey de Marisco who founded the Hospital in 1215 (Ware 1658, 234; De Montmorency-Morres 1817, cixix; Hunt 1974, 199-200). A photograph of the interior of the church ruins taken by Edwin Rae c. 1930-70 shows the effigial slab of Geoffrey de Marisco is lying on a low wall set into a recessed area at E end of N wall of church (http://www.tara.tcd.ie/bitstream/handle/2262/38936/ertk2165.jpg). A second photograph taken by Edwin Rae shows the slab standing upright in the NE angle of the church (http://www.tara.tcd.ie/bitstream/handle/2262/38936/ertk2165.jpg). The effigial tomb was described by Hunt (1974, 199-200) as following: 'This is a single effigy of a knight carved in high relief from a large slab of limestone, the right leg crossed over the left. The figure is armed in mail. The body defence is a hauberk to above the knee. Over this is a surcoat, falling to the knee in front and split up to the fork, but longer at the back and falling to the calf of the leg. The arms and legs are defended by mail sleeves and chausses, the sleeves having attached mail muffers. The right hand can be seen grasping the edge of the shield. The feet had mail sabatons continuous with the chausses. These are damaged, but enough remains to enable the prick spur to be seen on the right heel. The neck and throat are defended by what is no doubt the lower part of the coif of mail, continuous with the hauberk. A curious raised ring is shown around the base of the neck. It is covered with the wavy-line form of decoration in transverse bands used all over the figure to represent mail. The head is further armed in a helm of cylindrical form. The top is flat, and the front forms a slight keel down the median line which is slightly curved from brow to chin. The chin point in front is slightly lower than the bottom edge of the sides. The sights are of slit formation, and are outlined by a decorated band, which is continued down from brow to chin. There are remains of a similar band which ran around the edge of the top. These no doubt represent decorative reinforcements. The end of the sword is visible lying under the leg. It apparently hangs from the broad belt at the waist, which is studded at intervals with transverse bands. The large shield covers the left side from shoulder to knee, and hangs from a guige over the right shoulder. Beneath the feet and the point of the shield are carved foliations forming supports. The ring around the throat is perhaps intended to represent the junction of the hauberk and the coif. These were, however, usually made as one garment, or merely overlapped, and this ring, while occurring again on the knight of the double tomb (LI032-147009-) discussed below, does not appear on any other monument in Ireland. It has been suggested (a) that it represents a collar worn around the neck under the mail, (b) that it is a badge, either of the de Mariscos—to which family it is thought these effigies might have belonged—or of the Hospitallers. The building in which these tombs now lie was a commandery of the Order, but as one of the effigies (LI032-147009-) is shown with a wife, it is unlikely that they represent members of the order, but benefactors only. It is possible that the de Mariscos had a collar as a badge; it is an adjunct of the Moor in heraldic representations; but unless the figure with the similar ring at Kirkstead, Lincolnshire, could be shown to be a de Marisco also, it must rather be taken as a hitherto unexplained feature of early armours. The great helm can be compared with many examples in England and on the Continent, as well as with that depicted on the Jerpoint slab. Those at Kirkstead of 1240, Furness Abbey, Walkerne 1250 and Wells, 1240 may be cited. The type continues until about 1280 in England, and it appears to be slightly earlier than the Jerpoint, Co. Kilkenny version. Similar armours to that shown on this slab date largely from the period 1230-1260, and it is likely that the Hospital effigy is nearer to the latter date'. The effigial slab is depicted in 1817 as resting on top of a box-tomb in a drawing in the Genealogical Memoir of the Family of Montmorency (De Montmorency-Morres 1817, cixix) which cites the figure as that of Sir Geoffrey de Montmorency de Marisco, founder the priory of Aney who died 1245-6. This illustration of the intact tomb may be imaginary as suggested by Hunt (1974, 200). See attached image (LI032-147008-_04.JPG) of drawing taken from the 1817 publication. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 1 May 2018