Ch. (In Ruins) — Glebe (farbill By.)

The partial remains of a medieval nave and chancel church with residential tower on E end of N wall of church can be seen adjoining the E gable of the 19th century church of Ireland church dedicated to St. Etchen which stands in the centre of a large rectangular-haped graveyard (WM020-128001-). A wayside cross (WM020-127----) is 170m to the NE, a second wayside cross (WM020-135----) and Anglo-Norman motte and bailey (WM020-125001-) castle are 265m and 480m to the SSW respectively. A medieval font (WM020-128002-) originally located inside the medieval church, is now located inside the present 19th century Church of Ireland building. The present Church of Ireland church was constructed in 1803 partially on the site of the nave of the medieval church (Lotts 2011, 5). The vestry minute books from 1801 records that ‘having examined the state of the church and taken the opinion of workmen on the subject have resolved that the state of the walls is very unsafe and such as makes it inexpedient to lay out money in repairs as the whole will be very likely to fall if not taken down. We the Parishioners…have therefore resolved with the approbation of the Bishop that the foresaid church be taken down and new one built’ (Lotts 2011, 7). The medieval church remains were surveyed in 1976 when it was described as 'the remains apparently ancient of the large E portion of chancel of a church with tower features on N side. The E gable has a 3 light window with trefoil head. The nave of the church was probably either incorporated into the present Protestant church directly to the W or demolished to make way for it. Remains of Farrell vault inside tower feature. Open to south, underneath this and a pointed arched doorway also in S wall. Note the dressed stone in the doorway has plain surround (16th /17th century date). There is a double arched aumbry head on E side (interior). This may be reset. Outside on S wall there is a large wedge shaped graveslab with plain square plaque in relief on top' (SMR file). In 2011 an architectural heritage assessment report was carried out on the Church of Ireland building. This report recorded that ‘Casey and Rowan state that the manor of Rathwire was established in the reign of Edward I (1239-1307) and granted to John D’Archy of Platten, Co. Meath in 1336. Other sources date its origins earlier to Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, who arrived in Ireland in 1171 as one of the first Norman lords (died 1186), and the Annals of the Four Masters record that King John received hostages here in 1210. The manor flourished for several centuries and in 1598 was named as one of the seven market towns of Westmeath. In 1606, the Earl of Clanrickarde purchased Rathwire and the surrounding lands, some of which were confiscated. Following the Williamite Wars, the estates were granted to Robert Pakenham, who died in 1703, and is buried in the crypt of St. Etchen’s Church’ (Lotts 2011, 5). In 1682 the medieval nave and chancel church was described by Sir Henry Piers as ‘the largest of all the parish churches I have seen in this county’ having a ‘large and well-built steeple’ and a ‘fair large chancel raised almost to the height of the body of the church: the whole well roofed and shingled’ (Lotts 2011, 5). A residential tower possibly a priests residence located at the E end of the medieval church was described by Piers in 1682 as a ‘fair and handsome castle without roof’ that was built adjoining the NE wall of the chancel of the church’ (Lotts 2011, 5). According to the architectural heritage assessment report, the ‘chancel and castle structure survive to the east of the church in ruinous form to the present day, displaying carved stone details typical of the 15th century’ (Lotts 2011, 5). The church described in 1682 was partially demolished in 1803 when the present Church of Ireland church was built. It has been suggested that parts of the present crypt of the C of I church date from the medieval church with burials belonging to the Pakenham family dating back to 1703 (Lotts 2011, 5). A map of the glebe land dating from 1779 depicts the church as a long rectangular building with a tower at the W end of the church standing in the centre of a rectangular shaped ‘churchyard’ (WM020-128001-) (Lotts 2011, 6). A large house with gardens and outbuildings is shown on this map located on the SW angle of the graveyard boundary wall. These buildings are depicted on the 1837 ed. of the OS 6-inch map but are not depicted on the revised 1910 map. A kick in SW angle of the present graveyard boundary wall is depicted on the 1779 map (Lotts 2011, 6). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 8 August 2012