Armorial plaque in St. Johnstown

Above the doorway of St. Johnstown tower house (TS062-060001-) there is an armorial plaque bearing the coat-of-arms of Robert St. John. In the Civil Survey (1654-56) ‘Robert St. John of St. Johnstowne Esqr.’ is listed as the proprietor in 1640 and the tower house is described as ‘a Castle with a Bawne about it w[hi]ch is in repaire’ (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 173). It consists of a rectangular limestone plaque within a chamfered recess (H 0.82m; Wth 0.86m) which splays outward towards the base with the base-batter of the tower house. A central shield is quartered, the first and fourth quarters show three fishes hauriant, most probably the hackeds of Hackett (Crotty 2012, 67). The second and third quarters each contain two rows of three large ermine spots (ibid.). The raised inscription surrounds the shield and continues onto the chamfered recess. It is carved in a mixture of Lombardic and Roman script, in a style typical of the 16th century, and reads: ROBERT’DE SCT’O IOH’E DE CVOLAGH LISMAINAN SCADANSTOWNE ET TOCIUS PLEBIS ILLIUS FECIT ME, which translates as: Robert St. John, Lord of Cuolagh, Lismainan, Scadanstown and all of the people of that [district] made me (ibid.). Crotty (2012, 68) discusses the arrangement of the shield which does not display the correct arms of St. John. It may be that the carver had a poor grasp of heraldry or it may represent a separate coat of arms representing the lordship, rather than the family, the herrings perhaps referring to Scadanstown, the older name of St. Johnstown (ibid.). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 11 November 2013