2021:550 - St John’s Graveyard, R163 Headfort Road, Kells, Meath

Meath County Council repaired several sections of the pedestrian entrance area and the masonry boundary R163 roadside wall to St John’s Graveyard, RMP: ME017-044035, Townparks, Kells. In addition, it is proposed that the Tomb-Effigial ME017-044036 be covered to prevent its use as a ‘park bench’ and to stop rainwater pooling within the cut stone dips. The Graveyard (there is no church or church ruin) is also listed as a Protected Structure KT017-053 and NIAH 14313003. St John’s Graveyard lies within the Kells Headfort Place Architectural Conservation Area and is in close proximity to several quality built public buildings. Works took place from June to August 2021. The works consisted of:
• R163 Graveyard entrance arch-gate. This was repointed. The arch-gate runs into a large masonry wall that is a boundary to the adjacent property, previously a walled animal pound. This wall has been used as a support for a large modern and now-disused shed of wooden supports and asbestos roofing. The R163 boundary wall was re-capped with stones and lime mortar and a new rooftop rainwater drainage downpipe was installed. The existing large arched animal (wooden) gate was replaced with a new wooden gate.
• Inside the R163 Graveyard gate arch the concrete flooring was replaced with flagstones and the flight of 5 steps was raked out and the mortar repointed. The steps were not lifted.
• These steps (above) lead to a small ‘landing’ where the existing concrete was taken up and replaced with set flagstones.
• From the landing into the graveyard proper the large concrete block that was acting as a step was removed and replaced with a cut stone. The top of this flight of steps had the large, squared stones lifted, the soils underneath raked out and the stones reset. The underneath of the stones were inspected and were not engraved.
• A proposed small soakaway drain along the graveyard side of the top flight of steps to divert any water runoff was not built. Runoff from the graveyard still has the possibility to run down these steps and out onto the R163 footpath. A solution to this issue is still being designed.
• Two masonry walls were built at either end of Effigial slab ME017-044053 and these supported a new roof to cover the effigy.
Following consultation and a site visit from National Monuments staff, a walkover survey recorded the in situ and loose worked stones. This included a review of the previous graveyard survey of Kells Historical Society 20071, 2009-2010.
The walkover concluded that there are two 16th-century ogee-headed window pieces, a probable 16th-century ‘Archdeacon’ inscribed graveslab, a 16th-century cross-inscribed stone which may mean the Church on this site was refurbished or rebuilt in the 16th century and the graveyard had revised activity at this time. This Church might have been been ruined in the mid-16th century and seems to have been demolished around 1700. The visible grave rows pass right over the area of the presumed church.
The Graveyard is being used for various anti-social behaviour and it is possible that damage to the graveyard may occur, so a record of the present condition was considered important.

c/o Meath County Council