What is recorded here

Ivy strangled the tomb for centuries, hiding the names of Cusack and Lutwidge until a curious hand cut through the green wall to reveal stone carvings. Walter Lutwidge and his allies built the chest in 1702 for themselves, their bloodlines and any future person claiming those names. The tomb still abuts the church wall in County Meath, waiting for descendants who may never know it exists.

A chest tomb (dims 2m x 0.9m; H 0.9m) composed of plain limestone slabs on three sides abuts the S side of the wall in the graveyard (ME029-023012-) c. 5m S of the nave of the present Church of Ireland church. It has a large covering slab (dims 2.44m x 1.14m; T 0.1m) that has bevelled edges underneath on all sides except where it abuts the wall. The W end of the mensa has crests of Cusack and what must be Lutwidge. The incised inscription was recorded c. 1740 by Butler (1892-4, 166) and subsequently by FitzGerald (1908-09, 421), who describes it as: At the south-west side of the church is a high altar-tomb, which was completely covered with a thick growth of ivy. On cutting a small space on it, I discovered that the covering slab was lettered; and on removing the whole of the ivy, I saw that there were two crests and coat-of-arms at the upper end., and a long inscription in incised capitals below them. The latter was exceedingly hard to decipher, but I was able to make out the following: THIS TOMB WAS ERECTED / BY MR E*** CVSACK AND / MR WALTER LVTWIDGE FOR / THE VSE OF **** AND / THEIR **** EN / TH*R FAMILIES *** BE / LASTING (?) *** TO / BE CONTINVED FOR EVER / TO THE VSE OF THOSE OF / EITHER NAME WHO SHALL / CLAIM *** HERE LIETH / THE BODYS OF IOHN / LVTWIDGE AND ROBERT / LVTWIDGE BOTH LATE OF / ATHBOY TOGETHER WITH / THE REMAINS OF WALTER / LVTWIDGE LATE OF LACKIN / AND OF RICHARD LVTWIDGE / HIS SON DESESED THE 11 OF / IVNE 1702. This inscription I afterwards discovered had appeared on P 166 of vol. 2 of the Journal, from a copy made of it by Isaac Butler about the year 1740. Therein ‘Edward’ is stated to be the Christian name of the Cusack named in the second line, and the reading of the fourth and consecutive lines is given as: THE VSE OF THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES WHEN THEY SHALL BE EXTINCT THE SAME TO BE CONTINUED FOR EVER. Date of upload: 2 January, 2014

A chest tomb, likely medieval in date, possibly associated with an ecclesiastical site; its location within a graveyard suggests a funerary or commemorative function.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.