What is recorded here

Richard Comerford and Johanna St. Leger sleep inside a limestone chest in the north-west angle of St. Bridget’s church, Kilree. Johanna died in 1622, but Richard’s date is missing, leaving a small hole in the story. The front slab carries a ladder, dice, a spear, nails and a chalice, a whole Passion scene compressed into stone. Perhaps they wanted witnesses, not forgetting.

In the NW angle of the chancel of St. Bridget’s church (KK027-044001-), Kilree. A limestone chest tomb with a covering slab (L 2.25m; Wth 1.16m), with straight sides which are chamfered towards the base (total D 0.15m). The Latin inscription, in a margin (Wth 0.12m) around the edge of the upper slab, was transcribed by Carrigan (1905, vol. 4, 48) as, ‘Hic jacet Dns. Richardus Comerford quondam de Danginmore qui obit [date left uncut] et Dna Joanna St. Leger uxor eis pia hospitalis et admodum in omnes misericors matron quae obit 4 die October A. 1622’ and translated as, ’Here lie Mr. Richard Comerford, formerly of Danganmore, who died [left blank] and Johanna St. Leger, his wife, a matron pious, hospitable, and charitable to all, who died Oct 4th, 1622’. The front slab (H 0.67m), illustrated by Phelan (1973, vol. 22) is decorated with the symbols of the Passion flanked with stylised fluted pillars which taper towards the base. The symbols from dexter to sinister include a ladder, entwined ropes, a spear, dice and a seamless garment, 30 pieces of silver and beside them a bag with two straps, a cross ringed with a crown of thorns, a heart pierced with nails and pierced hands and feet above and below this, a scourge on either side of a plant, a cock on a three-legged pot, a sword, a chalice, a hammer, and pincer holding 3 nails and two sheaves of wheat. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of revised upload: 5 October 2016

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