Unknown, monument, monument

Inscribed stone feature\monument dated 1797, comprising a stone slab (on square-plan) inscribed to one face. The inscription now indecipherable (on site) apart from date ‘1797’ to lower section. Evidence of concrete bedding to base. Now uprooted/moved and now lies abandoned alongside discarded items of farm equipment adjacent to a Georgian house (see 40833008) and a short distance to the north-east of the former Church of Ireland bishop’s palace (see 40833005). Located within former Raphoe Demesne to the south-east of the Diamond, Raphoe.

This simple stone monument is an interesting, if largely neglected, feature located close to the former Church of Ireland’s bishop’s palace (see 40833005). Its original function is not known and the inscription is now indecipherable (on site) apart from the date ‘1797’ to the base. It has the appearance of a gravemarker but may be some feature associated with the bishop’s palace and the former Raphoe Demesne. It has been moved to its current location from another site, and the evidence of concrete bedding to the base indicates that it was formerly embedded in the ground and upstanding. The stone is likely to be of some historical significance but requires further careful inspection to determine its full importance. It is presently in danger of damage or possible destruction due to its precarious situation. This unknown stone feature is a curious addition to the built heritage of Raphoe.