Site of Church — Rathaspick

Situated on a slight rise in a low-lying landscape. The site of the parish church of Rathaspick is within a rectangular graveyard (dims. c. 70m N-S; c. 30-50m E-W) defined by masonry walls. References date from the late 14th century but it is described as ruinous in the terrier, or commentary, of the Down Survey (1655-8) maps in NLI (microfilm P 7384m B 6380) (Hore 1925, 35-6). According to a Visitation by Thomas Ram, the Protestant bishop of Ferns, in 1615 Michael Bellarby was the priest and the church and chancel were in repair (Hore 1900-11, vol. 6, 266-7). According to Synnott writing c. 1680 the church at Rathaspick was dedicated to St Bridget (Hore 1862, 66). The remains of the old church were removed during the 1820s when the present Church of Ireland church was built. This church is still in use and there is no evidence of an older structure, apart from a granite font and its base in the graveyard. The Dutchman's Well or St Bridget's Well (WX043-009----) is located c. 250m to the NE. A font of Dundry stone and its base were located outside the doorway of the present church of Rathapick church (WX043-010001-) but they were moved to the Irish Agricultural Museum at Johnstown Castle, c. 1km to the SSW, for safe-keeping in July 2018. The font is rectangular (ext. dims 0.6m x 0.6m; H 0.25m), with carved foliage beneath the basin externally at the point where a moulding joins it as one piece to a cylindrical stem (diam. 0.23m; H 0.25m) that narrows towards the bottom. The base (dims 0.6m x 0.6m; H 0.25m) has a raised circular ridge (diam. 0.5m) to accept the base of the stem (total H 0.92m). The scalloping suggests Romanesque influences and a late 12th century date (O’Brien 2015). See the attached view from the Down Survey parish map (N at bottom) reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland (Ms 725). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of amended upload: 25 June, 2015