What is recorded here

Thirteen graveslabs, including a fragment of an effigial tomb showing only a shoed foot and pleated gown hem, were pulled from the River Nore in 2001-2003 beside the late medieval bridge north of John’s Bridge. They may have been cleared from the graveyard of St Mary’s parish church or St John’s Priory and cast into the water as rubble to protect the bridge piers. A dead person’s carved image, reduced to a foot and a fold of cloth, became ballast for the living to cross.

Thirteen graveslabs were recovered from the River Nore during the archaeological excavations (01E980) carried out in 2001-2003 as part of the River Nore Drainage Scheme (Doyle and O’Meara 2004, 6-20). These were found associated with the late medieval bridge (KK019-026070-), immediately N of the current John’s Bridge (ibid. 7). It is suggested that the graveslabs were deliberately cleared from a graveyard, possibly belonging to either St Mary’s parish church (KK019-026115-) c. 100m to the W or to St John’s Priory (KK019-026068-) c. 200m to the NE, and used as part of the rubble needed to form a protective apron for the piers of the late medieval bridge (ibid. 16-19). The current location of this graveslab fragment is unknown. Fragment of a limestone incised effigial tomb (01E0980: 2321), only a sub-rectangular portion (L 0.43m; Wth 0.22m; T 0.1m) of which survives (ibid. 13, 16). It was decorated with a person in a long pleated gown, however, only, ‘the shoed foot, and the lower part (?hem, two vertical pleats and a fold)’, remain. Stylistically this dates to the 13th/14th century (ibid.). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 16 January 2023

Effigial tomb; medieval period. The graveslabs indicate a significant burial tradition and possible high-status interments, reflecting the historical importance of the River Nore area in medieval Kilkenny.

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