What is recorded here

Kells Priory in County Kilkenny holds a large limestone slab carving the heads of a man and woman in false relief. The man has a long beard and pouting lips, while the woman wears a fillet and short veil. They probably marked a grave at the north wall during the late 13th or early 14th century. Their steady gaze suggests two ordinary people transformed into stone, waiting beside the priory for centuries.

One of a large number of graveslabs (KK027-029005-; KK027-029015-, KK027-029016-, KK027-029021- to KK027-029051-) found at Kells Priory for Augustinian canons (KK027-029004-) which have been described and catalogued by Higgins (2007, 453-67). The large limestone graveslab (L 2.29m; Wth at top 1.19m; Wth at base 1.01m; T 0.29m) of the head-slab type. The slab appears to be undecorated except for the head of a man and a woman carved in high false relief. The man, on the dexter side, has shoulder length hair, parted in the middle, over a semi-circular front piece and a long moustache and beard of almost equal length. He is described by Higgins as having thin but pouting lips, broad cheeks, a long nose, large ovid eyes with prominent eye ridges, and a high forehead. The woman is probably wearing a fillet across the top of her forehead with a short veil falling to her ears over shoulder length hair. She is described by Higgins as having a rounded chin, full pouting lips over a narrow mouth, long nose and large deeply set ovoid eyes with prominent eye ridges. The eyes of both are double-contoured to indicate eyelids. The slab covered a stone-lined graves at the N wall of the N transept of the priory church. According to Hunt (1974, vol. 1, 180-81) the slab probably dates to the late 13th century, but it could also be early 14th century in date. (Higgins 2007, cat. no. 31, 464-5, Pl. 3.3). Ref.: Higgins, J. 2007 The medieval funerary monuments. In M. Clyne, (ed.), Kells Priory, Co. Kilkenny: archaeological excavations by T. Fanning & M. Clyne, 453-67. Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Dublin. See attached: KK027-029048-_01 Illustration in Graves, Rev. J. 1864-6 Proceedings and papers. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 8, op. 187. KK027-029048-_02 Photograph in Higgins, J. 2007 The medieval funerary monuments. In M. Clyne, (ed.), Kells Priory, Co. Kilkenny: archaeological excavations by T. Fanning & M. Clyne, 453-67. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 7 June 2023

Effigial tomb; medieval period. Associated with Kells Priory, it reflects the funerary practices of the Augustinian canons in the region.

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