Site of St. Leonards Church

Saintleonards is within the parish of Tintern and is within the original grant of 1207 to the Cistercian abbey (WX045-027001-) (Colfer 2002, 185-88). The church probably served as a chapel-of-ease for a grange or outfarm of the abbey. References to the church date from 1552 when it is listed as a chapel (Hore 1901-11, vol. 2, 92). It is depicted faintly as a rectangular feature (dims c. 20m E-W; c. 15m N-S) within a subrectangular graveyard (dims c. 30-50m E-W; c. 30m N-S) on the 1839 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. It is situated on a slight S-facing slope, and on the N side of the ENE-WSW R733 Wexford town to Duncannon road. This is a triangular overgrown area (dims. c. 35m E-W; c. 26m N-S) defined by the road bank at S, a N-S stone wall at W and an earthen bank (Wth 3.2m; ext. H 0.6m; int. H 1.15m) at NE. Inside the bank at NE is a sunken wet area (Wth 6m) with a stone wall footing or low bank (Wth 1.6m; max. H 0.6m; L 22m) on its inner edge. There are no recognisable foundations of a structure or any evidence of burial in the interior. The site of Toberernan (WX045-011----) is c. 320m to the SSE. 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 upload/revision: 23 July 2013