Church (in Ruins) — Whitewell

The church of Kilbride also known as Kilbride-Veston is depicted on the 1656 Down Survey parish map of Kilbride (NLI p.7384) where it is shown standing on the lands of Richard Tyrell of Kilbride Castle (WM033-010----). The terrier of the Down Survey parish map states that in this townland stands 'a Castle (WM033-010----) and a Church' (NLI p7384). This church is located in the parish of Kilbride-Veston or Kilbride-Vasty and today stands on the demesne lands of Dunboden Park. The church was described in 1837 as on the 'principal seats are Dunboden, the residence of R. W. Cooper, Esq., in whose fine demesne are the remains of the ancient parish church; the seat of A. Grose, Esq.; and Kilbride Castle (WM033-010----), of A. J. Wilkington, Esq., where are the remains of a strong hold of the Tyrrells. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Meath, and in the patronage of the Gifford family, in whom the rectory is impropriate: the tithes amount to £78. 9. 11 ½., of which £52. 6. 8. is payable to the impropriators, and the remainder to the vicar' (Lewis 1837, vol. 2, 56). This monument was inspected in 1980 and described as the ruins of a church standing in the centre of a subrectangular-shaped graveyard (WM033-008001-). The present ruins consist of a simple rectangular church (Dims. 13.5m E-W; 8.4m E-W), the walls of which are covered in ivy making detailed examination impossible. The N wall, S wall and the W gable survive upstanding. The remains of a narrow slit window can be seen in the W gable. No other architectural features are visible (SMR file). Kilbride Castle (WM033-010----) is located 315m to the S. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 02 July 2013