School: Knockcommon (roll number 16549)

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1. Churchyards (continued)

   

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   "Rosneree" and olde in lieu of old.
   The monuments are of marble and stone. Some of the writings on these are very indistinct for they are nearly blotted off with age. The real old headstones consist of stone while the modern ones are made of marble.
   People are buried in the ruin as well as in the graveyard itself. There are many tombstones in it one of which is very remarkable. It is a flat shaped stone, lying flat, and resting on two smaller stones which act as a prop to the larger one.
   There is such a custom as the pattern day still retained in some places, but this custom is not indulged in, in this locality. In other places the homely custom has not yet diminished.
   When the corpse is brought to the graveyard to be interred, the coffin is first brought round the churchyard and afterwards to the grave. Long ago an old custom was to bring the corpse three times in succession, round a tree, which grew about 200 yards from the churchyard before burial. Some people say that there was once a graveyard in Newtown before Knockcommon graveyard came into use. This was in the townland of Newtown.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. objects
      1. man-made structures
         1. historical and commemorative structures (~6,794)
            1. graveyards (~2,501)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Rita Gallagher

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Knockcommon, Co. Meath