Cemetery: Powerscourt Old Churchyard - Memorials
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Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives
Wicklow Index
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File contributed by: June Metcalf
POWERSCOURT OLD CHURCHYARD
(From the Rev. R. S. Maffett, B.A.)
This churchyard is not suited for division into rows, and
indeed in the sections into which it must be divided for the
proper recording of the inscriptions, the stones are not by
any means all placed eastwards. Before giving any
inscriptions, however, I may add to my former notes on the
building itself that the small unroofed vestry is at the
angle of the nave and upper part of the church at the south
side, and from the built-up doorway seen inside the vestry,
it evidently opened into that part of the church which is
now the "Verner" ground at its west end. The arched
framework of the doorway, leading from the south side of
this space into the "Cork Abbey" ground outside the church,
may perhaps have been moved from the vestry when Divine
Service ceased in the church. This doorway could not, at
any rate, have served as an entrance to the building, if the
external enclosure, apparently in use for above fifty years
before the erection of the new church (1859), was as now.
The section of the churchyard which contains the following
six memorials, all properly placed, is bounded by a path
extending from the south end of the east wall of the church
to its junction (opposite the north end of this wall) with
the walk which goes round the churchyard at a considerable
distance from the ruins, and then by this latter walk till
it reaches the gravelled space in front of the church.
These memorials, the inscriptions on which were taken by me
in the years 1905 and 1907, are all, however, at the east of
the building, and there are none at the north till we get to
the nave.
Row I, No. 1. A brownish-coloured headstone, leaning against
the wall underneath the centre light of the east window, has
the following inscription in block capitals, and of the same
size, with the exception of the second, seventh, and
thirteenth lines, the lettering of which is larger:-
Sacred to the memory of | WILLS HILL MECREDY | of Summer
Hill| Dublin who died Oct 2nd 1852 | aged 75 years. | Also
of | ELIZABETH MECREDY | his wife who died Dec 18th 1836,
aged 46 years.| Also to the memory of JANE MECREDY |
daughter of the above died 19th January 1875 aged 47 years.
No. 2. This is a headstone, gray in colour, with a kerbed
space covered with small pieces of white marble. It stands
under the north light of the east window a few inches from
the wall. The inscription, in leaded letters, is as
follows: -
Sacred to the memory of
HENRY HAMILTON ESQ.
OF TULLYLISH HOUSE, CO. DOWN
third son of the late
RT. REV. HUGH HAMILTON
LORD BISHOP OF OSSORY,
who departed this life
on the 7th of Dec br 1834
in the 55th year of his age.
"TO HIM TO LIVE WAS CHRIST
TO DIE WAS GAIN"
His widow
SARAH
3rd Daughter of
REVd MICHAEL SANDYS
Died Novr 28th 1871
Aged 87 years.
MARY CHARLOTTE
Daughter of Revd HENRY ORMSBY
Wife of Revd HUGH HAMILTON
Died Octr 24. 1873
Aged 67 years.
REV. HUGH HAMILTON
DIED MAY 28TH 1884 AGED 78 YEARS,
MARY AMELIA JULIA
THIRD DAUGHTER OF HUGH AND MARY HAMILTON
DIED FEB. 3. 1856 AGED 4 YEARS
No. 3 is a slate headstone with centre apex close to the
wall, to the north of the east window. "Sacred" is in
capitals, and the fourth line in written characters: -
SACRED | to the Memory of | CAPTN THOs EDWIN SANDYS, | of
H.M. 6th Regt. of Foot; | Born June 9, 1786. | Died June
2nd 1832.
No. 4.- Within a foot of the last memorial, to the north
side, and some six inches from the wall, is a headstone,
apparently of limestone. The lettering is of block capitals,
and of the same size, with the exception of the first and
third lines, and the first word of the eighth, in which the
letters are larger. The first record does not contain the
day of the month: -
Erected | to the memory of | JOHN HOGAN | who departed this
life | February, A.D. 1849, | aged 75 years. | And of |
ALICE his wife,| who died on Good Friday | 29th March A.D.
1861, | aged 72 years. | "To her to live was Christ, | and
to die was gain." | Her only hope of salvation | for time
and eternity was in | Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Row II, No. 1. This is a limestone slab on granite
supports, some four feet from the Church wall, and about a
foot to the north of the "Hamilton" ground (Row I, No. 2): -
This Stone
Is erected to the memory of the
Revd HENRY ORMSBY:
who departed this life October the 7th 1818
Aged Thirty Nine Years.
And also of HENRIETTA his Daughter:
who was born April the 11th 1819
and died August the 26th 1820.
* Inspector of Schools under the Church Education Society.
He was a brother of Archdeacon Hamilton (Diocese of
Newcastle-on-Tyne) and of Rev. ALFRED HAMILTON, Vicar of
Taney (Diocese of Dublin)
No. 2. - A limestone slab, on freestone supports, with
flagging underneath. The top right-hand support seems to
have sunk a couple of inches, which makes the slab unsteady.
It stands two or three feet to the north of No 1. and would
seem to extend two or three inches over the ground of No. 3
of Row I. I was told (1908) that the Rev. M. SANDYS and Mr
MECREDY (see Row I, No. 1) were both related to the present
rector. Mr. DALY, afterwards Bishop of Cashel, succeeded
Mr. SANDYS. COTTON, in his "Fasti", 1848, under
"Stagonil", wrongly makes the former’s succession to have
been in March, 1818.
Here lieth the Body of
Mrs BARBARA SANDYS
who departed this life
May 12th 1820 Aged 67 years.
Early converted to the service of her God and Saviour
She lived for 45 Years in the Parish of Powerscourt,
Showing forth the fruits of Faith by deep humility,
Unaffected Piety and unbounded liberality to the Poor.
The Parishioners who saw her light so shine before Men
have erected this Stone to testify their regard
for her and her Husband
The Revd MICHAEL SANDYS
Rector of the Parish during 39 Years.
He lived respected and beloved and dying in Dublin
was buired (sic) in St Annes (Church) Yard in January 1814.
SOURCE:
Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the
Memorials of the Dead in Ireland. Vol viii, FHL# 1279254