New Ross, Wexford

I Location

Site Location
New Ross
National Grid Reference
23S 72 27
County
Wexford
Dedication
medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Mary's church
Type of building/monument
Church (ruin)

II General Description

The 13thc. church had a nave, chancel and transepts. A 19thc. church is now on the site of the nave and crossing, while the transepts and chancel are ruinous.

VI Loose Sculpture

(i) Capital

Loose capital, scalloped faces.

Loose capital, scalloped faces.

Loose capital, scalloped faces.

Loose capital, scalloped faces.

Loose capital, scalloped face.

Loose capital, scalloped face.

Loose capital, view of base and back.

Loose capital, view of base and back.

Loose capital, scalloped faces.

Loose capital, scalloped faces.

The capital is cemented onto the remaining section of the W wall of the S transept. It is a multi-scallop capital, decorated on two faces, and evidently from an angle colonette. There are four scallops on each face, with foliage, rosettes or spirals (triskele) in the shields. Pointed leaves are carved between the cones. The abacus is square, while the necking, which has a chamfered corner, suggests an octagonal colonette.

Dimensions

h. 0.21 m
w. 0.44 m
d. 0.36 m
w. of carved faces 0.27 and 0.28 m

VII History

The church was founded between 1207 and 1220 by William, Earl Marshall and his wife Isabella.

VIII Comments/Opinions

The S doorway of the chancel has a very weathered and damaged scalloped capital on the W, which evidently belongs to the 13thc. church. The loose capital probably also comes from the early 13thc. church. The decoration of the capital, with triskele and foliage in the shields, is similar to the capitals of the Romanesque doorway in Killaloe Cathedral (c.1200) and a loose capital at Kyle (Laois).

IX Bibliography

  • A. Conway, An Undiscovered Treasure; St Mary's, New Ross, Co. Wexford (Unpublished BA Dissertation, University of Dublin, 1997)
  • H. G. Leask, Irish Churches and Monastic Buildings, Dundalk, 1966, II, 85.
  • A. Gwynn, and R. N. Hadcock, Medieval Religious Houses, Ireland, London 1970, 361.
  • T.Garton, ‘A Romanesque Doorway at Killaloe’, Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 134, 1981, 46.
  • M. Moore, Archaeological Inventory of Co. Wexford, Dublin , 1996, 158.