Monkstown Cemetery is one of the oldest in Ireland, and is rumoured
to be the final resting place of King Fergus. Campions
book, History of Ireland, refers to a tradition that Fergus, plagued with leprosy,
came from Scotland to drink the mineral waters of a well on which Carrickfergus Castle is
now built. It was told that during a violent
storm he was washed into the sea and was drowned, his body later found washed ashore three
miles from the town. He was buried at a site
known as Kill-na-manach, or Church of the Monks, later known as Monksland, and today as
Monkstown. It was told that where there is a
burial place and the ruins of a small chapel.
Robert Armstrong, writes in Through the Ages to Newtownabbey
that there is no known written evidence to suggest that there was an early Christian
church at Monkstown, although local tradition and the remains of an old medieval church
leave me with the impression that this is a very strong probability. Perhaps the evidence which follows will show that
there was indeed a Christian Church at the site up to at least 1622.
OLavery makes reference to The Montgomery Manuscripts, during
the Duke of Ormonds visit to Carrickfergus in 1666:
His Grace stood a good while talking publicly of severall
matters, and enquired if Fergus his body was found, and where buried; and there being none
that answered, I told his Grace that Scotts history spoke of its being found, and that a
place called Monkstown (about three miles from thence), claimed the honour of preserving
his remains: but I believe that those Fryars, who built the very small chapel in that
townland (and were not in being till long after St. Patricks days) could not show
any of Fergus his bones, but some bodys els instead of them; and so cheated their
credulous Irish converts and the Highland Scottish votarys, who came over to see Ireland,
and those suppositious relicts of so greate and revered a man: for real they could not be;
because the graves hungry stomach would not have taken time from 330 years before ye
birth of Christ till the later centuries before it to digest that morcell. (sic)
The modern translation of this is as Fergus was king of Scotland and
Ireland around 330BC, it was impossible that he could have been buried at this church, and
for his bones to remain in the condition they did. Legend
relates to his burial at a chapel, which would predate Christ by 330 years, and St Patrick
by over 700. Although, it could be the case
that this was an ancient pagan burial ground, which was then consecrated into the
Christian faith when the Monks were settling in the area.
However, as OLaverty goes on to explain:
King Fergus was a Christian; he granted Armoy to St
Patrick, and lived more than thirty years afterwards
I guess the jury is out on whether Fergus really is buried at
Monkstown!
Father MacCana is quoted by OLaverty as saying in 1643:
Not far from this (Whiteabbey) is a chapel, which is
occupied by some monks, but to what religious Order it belonged I could not tell, unless I
were to conjecture. In Irish it is called
Kill-na-manach, that is, Church of the Monks a portion of the walls of the
chapel remains I may, however, venture the guess that it belonged to the Monastery
of Goodburn, which is about two miles distant to the ease, near the town of
Karrick-Fergus, on the bank of the River Goodburn, and only one mile outside
Karrick-Fergus on the west.
The original church must surely have been one of the first in
Ireland. The church and monastery are the
reason for Monkstowns name. However,
little is known about the inhabitants, and only rumours and local folklore give any clues. The church only seemed to have any significance in
the area during the Medieval period, and judging by later reports, it was certainly
destroyed before 1650. OLaverty makes reference to the Visitation Book of 1622:
Capella de Ballemacranaugh, no church or walls the
second part of all tithes impropriate to the Abbey of Woodburne; the third part belongeth
to the Vicar, valued at Xs, worth 1£ Xs
Bardon writes about a taxation on Churches across the Christian
Kingdom in 1306 (presumably by Pope Clement V) called Decimae Saladinae which was intended
to raise money to help the recovery of Christendom of the Holy City. He writes:
Each church, abbey and monastery was valued and a tenth of
the valuation was then levied. Reports from
the deaneries give us some useful information on ecclesiastical establishments in these
dioceses information which was skilfully analysed by Rev. William Reeves, one of
the finest scholars of his day, in 1847
The extract for Monkstown is as follows (full text taken from
Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore by Reeves):
The
church of Monketone ------ 10 marks Tenth, 1 mark.
Monketone Now Monkstown, a townland of Carnmoney parish,
at the N.E. It the acquisition s of 1605, &c.. it is called by its Irish name
Ballynamanagh (baile na manach Monks-town). At the Dissolution, there were two chapels in the
county of Antrim bearin this name, one of the belonging to Kells, and the other to Grey
Abbey. The latter is mentioned next to
Carrickfergus in the Terrier, and is thus described:
Ecclesia de Ballymanagh, hath 3 thownes in Spiritual and Temporal, and
belongs to Gray Abby. It is now
incorporated with Coole, and conjointly with it, forms the benefice of Carnmoney. The west wall of the church is the only part which
is standing: but the area of the whole building is defined by the foundations, measuring
63 feet by 17. the graveyard has been by
degrees converted into meadow, and the few interments which take place here are confined
within the bounds of the church. The Ord.
Survey marks the spot Abbey Ruinds, Grave Yard s. 52.
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All information Copyright © Stephen Barnes
2002. Quoted text copyright original author.