Church (in Ruins) — Noughaval

In N quadrant of Noughaval graveyard (WM016-012001-). Poorly preserved ruins of a rectangular church (int. dims. c. 16.5m E-W; 6.85m N-S; wall T 0.9m) built of coursed rubble. Only a section of the S wall remains upstanding to full height (L. 10m; H 3m). The line of the E gable is difficult to identify while only the lower wall footings survives of the N wall (max. H 0.6m) of the church. The W wall of the church stands several courses high (max. H 2.2m). The church is entered through a late medieval pointed doorway of possible 15th century date located W of centre in the S wall. The punch dressed limestone jambs of the doorway (Wth 1.07m; H 1.7m) are set into a recessed surround which may suggest that this doorway was inserted into the wall of the church in a secondary building phase. The edge of the recessed surround was built with alternating long and short punch dressed quoins similar to the punch dressed limestone jambs of the doorway. The fine punch dressed doorway with drafted margins suggests a date in the 15th/16th century. Directly above the doorway is a small rectangular niche (dims. Wth 0.5m; H 0.35m; D 0.07m) which may have contained a stone plaque now missing. Above this niche are the remains of a poorly preserved sandstone corbel or head possibly of 12th century date that has been completely defaced due to natural weathering of the stone. Directly inside the doorway of the church on the W side are the remains of a low cross-wall which may represent the E wall of a priest’s residence (int. dims. 3.8m E-W; 6.85m N-S) built into the W end of the church. Alternatively this cross-wall may have been built in the post-medieval period when the W end of the church was was converted into a private burial area. Upright memorials dating from the 18th and 19th centuries have been inserted into the internal face of the W wall of the church. Two medieval jambstones have been used as stone surrounds for one of these upright memorials. The interior of the church has been used for burials in the post-medieval period with upright memorials inside the church dating from this period. Small private burial areas defined by low walls (H 0.4m; wall T 0.45m) have been built onto the external face of the W and N walls of the church. A single punch dressed chamfered jamb stone of a late medieval church window can be seen lying on the surface of the graveyard a few metres to the NE of the NE angle of the church. This carved jamb stone has a single socket hole visible for an iron grill of the window with an internal rebate for a wooden shutter. The SMR file mentions the presence of a carved head in a shed belonging to nearby Noughaval House that was thought to be of Early Christian date. This head appears to date from the post-medieval period and may be contemporaneous with Noughaval House. Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 1 October 2014