Ruins

This is part of the church complex of the Crutched friars, which was dedicated to St John the Baptist. It is situated on the S bank of the River Boyne, between a WSW-ENE section of the river c. 20m to the N and a low ridge c. 120m to the S. This is probably one of the two towers recorded at the site in an extent made at the Suppression in 1540 (White 1943, 299). Located about half way along the N wall of the bawn is this tower house, the W wall of which is built partly over the E wall of a building or stable on its W side. Widows from the earlier structure became incorporated into the W wall of the tower house (ext. dims 7.5m E-W; 6.35m N-S) that is vaulted over the ground floor and which was built when the stable was probably defunct. Access to the tower house is through a pointed doorway of rough-cut stone to a newel stair in an attached tower (ext. dims 2.8m N-S; 2.45m E-W) at the N end of the E wall. A lintelled doorway leads to the first floor that has a window on the N wall and a fireplace on the E wall, but the S and W walls are entirely missing. Only part of the N wall with a window embrasure survives on the second floor. From the newel stairs between the ground and first floors a doorway led to the wall-walk of the bawn, which does not survive. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 18 February, 2015

The Ruins of Saintjohns were built by the Crutched Friars, a religious order dedicated to St John the Baptist, and date to the 13th or 14th century. The site is historically significant as part of a medieval monastic complex associated with an important religious order in Ireland.