What is recorded here

St Abigails Burial Gd is a grass-covered rectangle in County Cork where the oldest surviving stone marks 1785, yet the church that gave the place its name has vanished without a trace. The earthen bank still holds the shape of a sacred boundary, but the building at the northern end has surrendered completely to time. People may have worshipped there for generations before stopping, leaving behind only graves, silence and a name repeated on later maps.

Shown on 1842 OS 6-inch map as subrectangular area named 'Grave Yard'; named 'St Abigail's Burial Gd.' on 1904 and 1938 OS 6-inch maps. Roughly rectangular area (c. 35m E-W; c. 40m N-S) enclosed by earthen bank. Interior grass-covered, N end higher than S. Numerous burial markers noted; oldest gravestone dated 1785. According to Bowman (1934, 540), it contained church at N end, 'not a vestige of which now remains'. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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