Cemetery: Clane Churchyard & [PART OF] Clane Abbey

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Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives
Kildare Index
Copyright

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File contributed by: C.Hunt & M. Taylor

CEMETERY: CLANE CHURCHYARD
 [From Lord Walter FITZGERALD]

'The village of Clane lies close on three miles to the north
of Sallins Railway Station. Since the magnificent new
church of Millicent was built by Mr. Thomas COOKE TRENCH a
mile off a few years ago the Protestant Church in Clane was
unroofed and allowed to go to ruin.

At the best of times it was a plain modern building situated
in an old burial-ground, the oldest monument in which bears
the date 1616.

This monument is an altar-tomb the scripturing on which was
never half-finished. It stands against a bit of an old
wall. in which are inserted two tablets bearing shields and
a small slab with an inscription in raised letters dealing
with the WOGAN family of Rathcoffey.

On the upper tablet is carved a shield which is quite plain;
below it is incised the date 1618. Below this is the second
and larger tablet, on which is a shield bearing the
following device:-

At the top, three birds in a row: below them three six-
pointed stars: the between the lions rampant a dexter hand;
and lastly at the lowest part of the shield, a fish. In the
upper corners (two figures on either side of the shield) is
the date 1716 incised.

The WOGAN coat-of-arms is:- "Or, on an chief sable, three
martlets of the first" The WOGAN of this date was a
Nicholas. who married Rose, daughter and heiress of Sir
Neill O'NEILL, Bart. of Killileagh, in the Co. Antrim; and
the device on the sheild is a mixture of the WOGAN and
O'NEILL coats, the latter superimposed on the former.

This branch of the O'NEILLS BORE THE FOLLOWING COAT:-

"ARGENT, two lions rampant, combatant, supporting a sinister
hand, couped at the wrist, gules; in chief, three mullets of
the second; in base a salmon naiant, proper."

This Sir NEILL is buried in the French Church, or Holy ghost
Hospital, in the City of Waterford, The inscription on his
tomb is given on p. 218 Vol. II, of the Reports on
the Memorials of the Dead, Ireland' while a description of
Sir NEILL and drawing of his tomb are given in Vol. II, p.57
of "The County of Waterford Archaelogical Society's
Journal."

On the upper side of the frame, round the slab bearing the
above-described shield is incised, Patrick MVRRY who was
probably the sculptor.

The inscription on the mural slab runs thus' :-

	HERE LIETH INTOMBED|THE BODY OF WILLIAM WO|GAN OF
	RATHCOFFIE ESQVIR |WHO DECEASED THE
	LAST| OF DECEMBER IN ANNO : DO|MINI 1616 BEINGE OF
	THE AGE |OF XXVII YEARS

'The altar-tomb has a plain lid. The left side end has the
Crucifixion carved on it while the other is plain. The front
face is divided into six compartments each containing
(except the sixth) an unfinished figure. From their outline
one can tell that three are males and the other three are
females.

Over the head of each are two letters, viz. :- N W, I W, W.
W, E W, M W and I. W. From the following Funeral Entry the
names that these initials of William WOGAN'S children stand
for can be ascertained :-

	"William WOGAN in the County of Kildare, deceased
	last of December 1616; he was married
	to Arne dau to Christopher (PLUNKET) LO: Baron of
	Killine by whom she had issue - Nicholas
	James, Elizabeth, Mary & Janne . One son is omitted
	in this Funeral Entry whose initials
	were W, W.. He was probably christened William
	after his father.'
_______________________________

'The following inscriptions are copied from table-tombs on
the north side of the burial-ground' :-

	Here lieth the body of Rich'd WARBURTON of Firmount
	in ye County of Kildare, Esq'r who departed this
	Life 20th Nov'r 1763 Aged 26 years.

	'This inscription is now very faint.'
______________________________________

	TO THE MEMORY OF A BELOVED MOTHER EMELIA CUMMINS
	DOWAGER LADY FITZGERALD DIED AT KILLIBEGS 16TH
	DECEMBER 1881 AGED 96 YEARS. HER END WAS PEACE
	LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE. TITUS II. 13.

	'Lady FITZGERALD was the daughter and co-heiress of
	William VEALE, Esq., of Trevaylor, Co.
	Cornwall and a niece of Sir Alexander Penrose
	CUMMING-GORDON, Bart. Her husband, whom she
	married in August 1805 was Sir William FITZGERALD,
	Bart. (who died 30th May 1847) of
	Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare.

	She is the mother of the 4th present Baronet, Sir
	George CUMMING FITZGERALD, of Killibegs
	House, Co. Kildare, 4th son of the 2nd Baronet and
	who was born 1823.'
_________________________________

	The following Members of the DIGBY Family are
	interred in this grave.
	Here lieth the Body of Iohn DIGBY of Landenstown,
	Esq'r who departed this Life
	Iuly 27th 1786 aged 95 years Rev. Iohn DIGBY of
	Landenstown who died 4 Iuly 1838
	Iohn William Digby of Landenstown who died 27th
	August 1846 M'rs Henrietta
	Anne BARFOOT of Midlington House, Hants who died
	13th February 1875
______________________________________

	'The next two inscriptions are from headstone on the
	south side of the churchyard' :-

	Here lieth the Body of Iohn MURPHY of
	Smithsfield;
	[? School] Master who died April[illegible]
	1790
_________________________________________
		+
		IHS
	This stone was Erec'd by Redmond CONNE'LL in memory
	of his son Mathew CONNELL who departed
	this Life Ap'l the 2nd Anno Dom. 1771 Aged 18 years
	- May he rest in peace Amen
______________________________________________

CEMETERY: CLANE ABBEY

'A short distance outside the village of Clane in the
direction of the bridge over the Liffey are the ruins of
Clane Abbey. All that is now left of it are three parallel
walls, here and there pierced with a double-lighted window,
whose mullions are gone. of the great east window the cut-
stone jambs alone remain.

On either side are cut-stone arched recesses in one of which
lies the trunk of a cross-legged stone effigy, measuring
about 3 1/2 feet in length; the legs are encased in chain-
mail and part of a sword belt, worn outside a surcoat, or
outer robe, can still be distinguished.

This knight possibly represents Gerald fitz Maurice
FITZGERALD, the 4th Baron of Offaly, who founded this
Franciscan Abbey of Clane [p93] in 1271 (or in 1258
according to the "Annals of the Four Masters")

The interior of the old Abbey wall alone (like Great CONNELL
in this County) is used as a burial-ground. There is but
little of interest among the headstone, but a small mural
slab bears the following incised inscription' :-

	HERE LYETH THE BODYS OF IAMES ENNIS LATE OF CLANE
	WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE Y'E 4TH
	OF MARCH 1719 AND OF IOAN HIS WIFE WHO DECEASED Y'E
	28TH OF AUG'ST 1729 AND OF
	MARY HER MOTHER WHO DYED AUG'ST Y'E 4TH 1732

					R.I.P.
	POSCUIT RD'* DN'* ANDREAS ENNIS PAROCHI'* DE CLANE
	&C. A.D. 1738

Footnote: *These (') represent contractions for the letters
un.

Source:
Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the
Memorials of the Dead in Ireland Vol 6, 1904 (FHL # 0258795)