Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB16/14/004 A

Address :
St Bartholemew's Cof I Church Donaghmore Road Newry Co Down BT34 1SE

Townland:
Glebe

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
03/11/1981 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Church

Former Use
Church

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
Yes

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
252/4

IG Ref:
J1046 3498

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Owner Category

Church - C of I

Exterior Description And Setting

Mid 18thC barn church with later tower, set in an elevated churchyard overlooking the former parish school (HB16/14/003) to the W and the former Glebe House (HB16/14/047) to the N. Church is aligned W-E with tower abutting the W end. Tower is three-staged with the middle stage being shorter than the others and the top stage being the belfry. Walls are finished as the church, with a rendered plat band between each stage. Tower: First stage: The SW and NW corners have two-stage angled buttresses, which rise to the platband at the second stage. The N face contains the main entrance. It is set within a Gothic headed opening. Its chamfered reveals are in granite blockwork to spring of arch level and over is a rendered hood mould. Door is t+g sheeted and bead moulded with a dressed granite threshold. The W face has a single lancet window opening with chamfered reveals and splayed cill. Window is lattice glazed with ogee head and decorative spandrels. The S face of is blank. The E face completely abuts the W gable of the church. Second stage: Each corner has a plain angled buttress, which rises into the third stage. Its N, W and S faces each have an infilled central panel with chamfered reveals, (these openings formerly contained timber louvres). The E face of the tower is blank and partially abutted by the gable apex of the church. The third stage is the belfry. The angled buttresses continue to parapet level. Each face has a lancet opening with splayed reveals and cill. Over each is a rendered hood mould (failing in places). Set within the lancets are pairs of lancet headed timber louvres with matching spandrels. Tower roof is concealed by an embattled parapet with stepped granite copings. Each corner is terminated by tall dressed granite pinnacles with moulded finials. Church roof is aligned W-E, it is pitched and natural slated with granite eaves course supporting half round metal rainwater goods. Walls are lined cement render with a basecourse to N and S elevations only. W elevation is abutted to centre by the tower, exposed left and right portions of the W gable are blank. For tower see above. The N and S elevations of the church are identical. Both have three lancet windows, all with cast iron lattice glazing, Gothic tracery spandrels and dressed granite cills. The N elevation is abutted to E end by a small vestry (see later). The E gable of the church is blank and abutted to centre by a lower single storey sanctuary (see later). Vestry This small single storey (+ basement) structure abuts the E end of the N elevation. It has a pitched natural slate roof aligned N-S with half-round metal rainwater goods. The structure has been extended to E end under a cat-slide of its main roof. This extended portion advances beyond the E end of the N wall and wraps around onto the E gable where it has a rendered chimneystack. The W elevation of the Vestry is rubble stone. Its central doorway has brick dressings and contains a t+g sheeted door. The W elevation has a flight of nine steps down to a t+g sheeted basement door. The N gable is rendered and blank and its lower half is embanked by the raised churchyard. The E elevation is cement rendered and contains three modern timber casement windows. The S elevation of the vestry is cement rendered with a modern timber door to centre (This elevation faces onto the N cheek of the sanctuary, with a narrow passage between the two). Sanctuary abuts the E gable of the church. It has a pitched natural slate roof (lower than church roof) with rendered eaves course. Walls are rendered as the church. E gable has a large window consisting of three lancets (central one taller) within a plain dressed granite architrave. These windows are leaded, quarry glazed and coloured with a modern security glazing over. The N and S cheeks of the sanctuary are blank. Setting: The church is on the crest of a hillock with the churchyard falling away on all four sides. From the church the former parish school (HB16/14/003) and the former Glebe House (HB16/14/047) are within clear view. The church is bounded to the N and W by a high wet dashed rubble stone wall with quarry stone coping. Entrance gates are at the NW corner. Two large rendered gate piers with pyramidal granite caps carry a pair of wrought iron gates with dog bars and arrow-head finials. Above the gateway is a wrought iron throw-over with lamp bracket. Within the churchyard is a Celtic Cross and variety of interesting tombstones, some dating from late 18thC. The 3.2m high Celtic cross stands to the S of the church, it is decorated with biblical figures and Celtic knot-work. To the SW of the church is the Innes-cross family vault (1819) aligned roughly W-E. It has a pitched natural slate roof laid in diminishing courses, granite dressed skews and stone ridge. Rubble stone walls. The front (W) gable has an infilled doorway over which is a recessed slate plaque, “THIS TOMB/ WAS ERECTED AD 1819/ BY/ ARTHUR INNES. ESQ/ OF/ DROMANTIME/ IN THIS PARISH.” On wall to right of the door is a polished granite tombstone with coloured pilasters and a decorative entablature. It reads “In memory of/ LOUISA LETTIA HENRIETTA INNES/ the beloved wife of/ ARTHUR CHARLES INNES/ of DROMANTINE CO DOWN/ died January 27th 1886. I will never leave thee/ nor forsake thee. Heb xiii.5/ The lord thy God is with/ thee whithersoever thou/ goest. Josh i.9” To the S of the Innes family vault is a slate memorial dressed with decorated head and a beaded architrave. It reads “MARSHALL JOSEPH MEE ESQ/ WHO AFTER A SHORT ILLNESS DEPARTED/ THIS LEFT AT THE GLEBE HOUSE/ OF DONOUGHMORE ON 25TH DAY/ OF JANUARY 1844 IN THE 22ND/ YEAR OF HIS AGE.” The grave of John Martin ( a prominent young Irelander) is in the graveyard and is recorded separately under HB16/14/004B.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Donaghmore or ‘Domnach Mor’ means ‘Great Sunday’. This name is believed to commemorate a visit to the site by Saint Patrick. A church on this site can be traced to the 5thC and was named “St Mac Erc’s” after its founder Bishop Mac Erc. The parish is one of the oldest in the Diocese of Dromore. This early church stood just S of the present one and is believed to have had wattle walls and a thatched roof. The 12 townlands and the rectory which constituted the manor of Donaghmore were held in 1622 by Sir Edward Trevor who had the power to choose the parish clergy and manage its affairs. The Manor passed into the ownership of the Innes family (of Dromantine House), in the late 1730s. It may have been the influence of the Innes family that lead to the construction of the present church. The Parliamentary Returns of 1739 state: “ The parishioners of Donaghmore have presented £80 to be ley to build a new church in four years, and said Primate (Boulter) has promised to give timber to roof the church and ten guineas to finish it.” This church was consecrated 8th September 1741 and dedicated to St. Bartholomew. The baptismal font (dated 1726) is believed to be from the earlier church. In 1776 £3.13s.0d was paid for rough casting and white washing the church. The building was re-roofed in 1779 at a cost of £41. In 1819 £5 was spent on an iron gate for the graveyard and stone caps for its piers. The vestry was added in 1828 and the tower in 1829. The building is described in the 1836 Valuation book as measuring 55ft 6in x 29ft x 19ft, with a 12ft x 12ft x 60ft tower. It is described by Samuel Lewis, writing in 1837, as “a small handsome edifice in good repair, with a lofty tower ornamented with buttresses, pinnacles and finials, which was erected in 1828 by voluntary contributions”. The sanctuary was added in 1879 at a cost of £242.19s.9d. The scriptural tablets on the sanctuary walls were a gift from Arthur C Innes-Cross of Dromantine House in 1883. The present choir stalls were added in 1887. In 1905 a new church bell was installed, “Rev. J.D. Cowan. LL.D. Rector 1905”. It was cast by Messrs Taylor of Loughborough. Vicars from the erection of the church are as follows: (1740) Alexander Naismith, (1758) George Vaughan, (1769) Thomas Sacheverell, (1775) Francis Johnston, (1789) Rev. Brabazon Smith, (1816) Rev. John Mountgarrett, (1824) Marshall Joseph Mee, (1857) John Campbell Quinn, (1882) J. D. Cowan. On the death of Rev. J. D. Cowan in 1925 the parish went under the clergy of St. Mary’s Newry. The Celtic cross in the churchyard dates to the 10thC and, having been toppled during the Cromwellian conflict, was re-erected in 1890 by the Rev J D Cowan. It is believed that below the cross is the central chamber (62ft long 3ft wide and 4ft high) of a souterrain. This network of caves is said to be constructed of fieldstones, covered by large slab stones. The souterrain runs as far north as the former Glebe house (HB16/14/047). The Cross is a scheduled monument ref SMR Dow 40/37. John Martin, a prominent ‘Young Irelander’ is buried in the churchyard (HB16/14/004B). The Innes-Cross family was of Dromantine House (HB16/21/001). It is believed that there are nine family members in the vault. The Gordon family to whom the Holy table is dedicated were of Mount Kearney (HB16/14/021). Primary sources: 1. Ordnance Survey Memoir, Donaghmore Parish, 1834. 2. OS 6" map, 1834, Co Down sheet 40 (PRONI OS 6/3/40/1). 3. First Valuation, 1836 (PRONI VAL 1B/355, p.144). Secondary sources: 1. Information from Mr Walter McClean (churchwarden). 2. Rev. J. Davison Cowan, “An Ancient Parish, that of Donaghmore.” London, 1914. 3. E.D. Atkinson LL.B, “Dromore, An Ulster Diocese”, Dundalk 1925. 4. S. Lewis, 1837, Topographical dictionary of Ireland, vol.1, p.468.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This good 18thC rural church is located in a prominent hillside churchyard. Erected on the site of an early Christian church, the churchyard contains an important 5thC Celtic cross. The well-furnished interior has many attractive 19thC features and a unique carved stone font dating from 1726. Adding to the importance of the site is its proximity to the former parish school (HB16/14/003) and the former Glebe House (Hb16/14/047). It is unusual in this area of County Down, to find an 18th church, its Glebe house and early 19thC school in such close proximity.

General Comments

Date of Survey

09 January 2000