St. Findens Cross — Aghowle Lower (shillelagh By.)

National Monument No. 137 in State care. Situated on a level area on a gentle W-facing slope. with stream 23m to E. St. Finden's [Finnian/Findian of Clonard] High Cross stands in NW quadrant of Aghowle graveyard (WI042-019003-), 12m NW of NW angle of a Romanesque church (WI042-019001-) built on the site of a monastery founded by St . Finnian in the sixth century. In the NW quadrant of Aghowle graveyard (WI042-019003-) stands St Finden's high cross (dims. H 2.8m; Wth across arms 1.6m), an imperforate ringed cross resting on a pyramidal base (H 0.5m; 1.28m x 1.1m at ground level). It is undecorated except for sunken panels on the sides of the shaft and on the underside of the ring and arms (Harbison 1992, 10). The cross was described in 1838-40 as 'an old stone cross near the N.W. corner of the Church ruin the top of the shaft broken off and lying beside the pedestal' (OSL). O'Donovan (OSL 1838, 14/G/21/9(31-2)) recorded that; 'about 36 feet distant from the northwest corner of this church stand the pedestal and shaft of a granite cross (St. Finden's) of the primitive ages of the Irish Church, and the remaining part (which completed the cross) lies prostrate on the ground immediately to the west of them. It was apparently blown off by a storm'. It has been suggested that the cross at Aghowle is an example of an unfinished high cross (www.crsbi.ac.uk). According to Drury (1906, 169-70) in the process of re-erecting the high cross, 'a portion of the shaft was shortened in order to form a dowel on which the upper portion was fixed'. Recently described by Corlett (2019) as following; 'The cross presently consists of three components; head, shaft and base, while a former capstone is missing. The base, which is probably in situ, is pyramidal and measures 1.05m x 1.25m wide at the base, 80cm x 96cm across the top, and stands 50cm high. The shaft is 52cm wide x 30cm thick and 1.5m high. On the west face is a recessed panel. The sides of the shaft are similarly recessed, however on the east face is entirely blank. The wheeled head with short projecting transoms is 1.54m across and 1.22m high. Both faces of the head are plain. The under sides of the wheel are recessed, in continuation of the recessed panels on the shaft, but these do not follow through on the ends of the cross arms, or the upper sides of the wheel. The cross measures some 3.5m tall in total (including base), but it was originally slightly taller as a tenon on the top of the cross indicates the former presence of a capstone. To date there is no trace of the former capstone. Immediately east of St Finden’s Cross is a large block of granite (1.3m long and 73cm wide). The stone is earthfast and originally stood much higher than its present 43cm. It is unshaped, except along one side which has a flat face – notably the rim is lower along this side of the stone. The basin is trough-like and measures 84cm x 47cm across at the top, and 55cm deep. The upper sides of the basin are straight, but the lower sides, including the ends, slope gradually towards a narrow base, providing a V-shaped profile across the short-axis. There is no drain hole. Given the lack of drain hole, the basin is rarely without water, and according to John O’Donovan “the water ...is believed to be blessed and able to cure headaches etc, for as the stone retains the blessing of St. Fenden, it imparts it to every drop of rain water which falls into it” '. (Ordnance Survey Letters Wicklow 1838-40, Corlett and Medleycott eds. 2000, 36-45; Graves 1883, 72-85; Owen 1886, 409; Price 1958, 368-9; Harbison 1970, 251; Ó Ríordáin 1978, 30, 39, 43, 44) See attached drawings of High Cross taken from Ordnance Survey Letters, Co. Wicklow The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Chris Corlett Date of revised upload: 12 March 2020