Westpalstown

Westpalstown Cemetery

Westpalstown Cemetery is set in tillage fields and is located on the north side of the R129. The graveyard is located within a larger field. It is bounded by hedgerow with an external ditch in places though the upstanding archaeological features on the site are later medieval in date.

Historical Context

The graveyard is enclosed by hedgerow and contains the remains of the late medieval parish church which was a ruin by 1630. The remains include structural elements, architectural fragments and a piscine. A considerable number of architectural fragments from the church have been re-used as grave markers. One such gravestone has a large panel with a fleurs-de-lis on it. A ditch runs north-south then returns and runs into a field boundary. This ditch probably represents an earlier graveyard boundary. There is an old building nearby which resembles a chapel with niches and alcoves and may be associated with the church. The graveyard was previously surveyed in 1992 (Egan 1991, Vol.5).

Archaeological and Architectural Features

The walls of a late medieval church are located in the northwest corner of the graveyard. The walls survive to a height of c.0.8m and are constructed of squared rubble limestone. There is an opening in the north wall with dressed limestone jambs and a splayed window opening in the south wall. There are many re-used architectural fragments in the ground to the east of the church, including sections of dressed window surrounds with bar holes in it.

General Description

The graveyard is sub-rectangular in plan and is bounded by hedgerow with an external ditch in places. The graveyard is located within a larger field. The graveyard contains 18th, 19th and 20th century grave markers which are concentrated to the south and southwest of the church. There are a large number of re-used architectural fragments to the east end of the church, many of which may have come from the church window. There is a large railed plot to the south of the church with a limestone table tomb. The later grave markers are organised in rows to the south of the church. The 19th century headstones are decorated with Lamb of God or IHS motifs in sunbursts.