Maddoxtown / Maddockstown

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Results: 8 records

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design element - architectural - arcade - blind - pointed arches - 32

Scene Description: "eight Gothic flutes each side" [cf. FontNotes]

Image Source: edited detail of a digital photograph 30 March 2021 by A.-K. D. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptismal_font_in_Maddoxtown_graveyard.jpg] [accessed 30 December 2023]

Copyright Instructions: CC-BY-SA-4.0

design element - motifs - floral - fleur-de-lis

Scene Description: unknown where on the font it appears

Image Source: edited detail of a digital photograph 30 March 2021 by A.-K. D. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptismal_font_in_Maddoxtown_graveyard.jpg] [accessed 30 December 2023]

Copyright Instructions: CC-BY-SA-4.0

design element - motifs - foliage

Scene Description: unknown where on the font it appears

Image Source: edited detail of a digital photograph 30 March 2021 by A.-K. D. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptismal_font_in_Maddoxtown_graveyard.jpg] [accessed 30 December 2023]

Copyright Instructions: CC-BY-SA-4.0

head - 2

Scene Description: unknown where on the font it appears, and whether or not they are human heads

Image Source: edited detail of a digital photograph 30 March 2021 by A.-K. D. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptismal_font_in_Maddoxtown_graveyard.jpg] [accessed 30 December 2023]

Copyright Instructions: CC-BY-SA-4.0

symbol - triquetra

Scene Description: unknown where on the font it appears

Image Source: edited detail of a digital photograph 30 March 2021 by A.-K. D. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptismal_font_in_Maddoxtown_graveyard.jpg] [accessed 30 December 2023]

Copyright Instructions: CC-BY-SA-4.0

view of font

Scene Description: after reconstruction in 1959 [cf. FontNotes]

Image Source: Pike (1989: 22)

Copyright Instructions: Permission received from the author (letter of 9/2/2004)

view of font

Image Source: digital image of an undated B&W photograph by Leo McAdams, in the Old Kilkenny Review [https://kilkennyarchaeologicalsociety.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/OKR-1960-51-Maddoxtown-Font.pdf] [accessed 30 December 2023]

Copyright Instructions: PERMISSION NOT AVAILABLE – IMAGE NOT FOR PUBLIC USE

view of font in context

Scene Description: Source caption: "Baptismal font in Maddoxtown graveyard"

Image Source: digital photograph 30 March 2021 by A.-K. D. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptismal_font_in_Maddoxtown_graveyard.jpg] [accessed 30 December 2023]

Copyright Instructions: CC-BY-SA-4.0

INFORMATION

FontID: 00881MAD

Church/Chapel: Church of Maddoxtown [ruins & cemetery]

Church Location: Maddockstown, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland

Country Name: Republic of Ireland

Location: Kilkenny, Leinster

Directions to Site: Located off Sion Rd, on the E bank of the Nore river, between the R712 (NE) and the R700 (SW), about 5 km ESE of Kilkenny, 9-10 km W of Gowran

Font Location in Church: Reported ca. 1989 in the graveyardIn the cemetery?

Century and Period: 12th - 14th century, Medieval

Workshop/Group/Artisan: Ossory font

Cognate Fonts: 1. St. Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny 2. St. Laserian's Cathedral, Old Leighlin, Co. Carlow 3. St. Francis' Abbey, Kilkenny 4. St. Patrick's Memorial Church, Saul, co. Down 5. Ballyhale, 1st Stoup outside the Roman Catholic Church 6. Outside Freshford Roman Catholic Church 7. St. Mary's Church, Kilkenny 8. St. Mary and St Catherine, Callan 9. St. Leonard's Church, Dunnamaggan 10. St. Mary's Churchyard, Thomastown (fragments) 11. Ballyhale 2nd Stoup outside Roman Catholic Church [cf. FontNotes for others]

Credit and Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Dr. Rachel Moss, and to Trinity College, Dublin, for the copy of Ms. Pike's work, and to Ms. Joan Pike for her kind permission to reproduce her original drawing]. We are grateful to Pol Herman for the link to the 3D Sketchfab of this font

Font Notes: Click to view font notes

Pike (1989: 22) informs that the existence of this font "had been noted by William, Canon Carrigan, in his History of Ossory 1904: 'The ancient baptismal font, broken in two, lies in the graveyard. It is fluted on the sides and decorated with early English foliage'", and adds that Corrigan dated the ruined Church of Maddoxtown -known as the Church of Blackrath- to the twelth century [which would make it "Transitional", according to the usually accepted period datings]. Pike (ibid.) reports that "the Maddoxtown font was re-erected in 1959 by the Kilkenny Archaeological Society [...]. About 1950 Miss Springfield had the graveyard cleaned and gathered the pieces of the font, placing them on the Collis grave", giving the Kilkenny Archaeological Journal as source. At the time of her visit, ca. 1989, Pike found the reconstructed font "square with eight Gothic flutes each side and no central drain now. There is a central pedestal, four pods with base and reconstructed plinth. Half-circular base seemed original, with reconstructed square at the back. There is foliage carving, partly obscured by lichen on the stone. When cleaned, Fleur-de-lis appeared and a Triquetra knot. This font differs from other Ossory fonts, as there are heads in relief on two diagonal corners." The font is described and illustrated, with reference to William Canon Carrigan and to Joan Pike, in an entry in the Old Kilkenny Review of the Old Kilkenny Society [https://kilkennyarchaeologicalsociety.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/OKR-1960-51-Maddoxtown-Font.pdf] [accessed 30 December 2023], where it is compared to the "13th century fonts of St. Canice’s, St. M ary’s, St. Francis, Gowran, etc. It differs from them all in having each of its edges decorated w ith hum an heads or birds—only three corners are decorated w ith E arly English foliage—its fourth has the Irish triquetra knot. A 3D sketch of this font is shown in Sketchfab [https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/maddoxtown-font-re-upload-6ecd58e4e4054865866a04e5089b16d0] [accessed 19 January 2025].

COORDINATES

Church Latitude & Longitude Decimal: 52.63209, -7.19507

Church Latitude & Longitude DMS: 52° 37′ 55.52″ N, 7° 11′ 42.25″ W

UTM: 29U 622151 5832874

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone, type unknown

Font Shape: square (mounted)

Basin Interior Shape: round

Basin Exterior Shape: square

Drainage Notes: [NB: the central drain typical of this type of font may have been ignored during reconstruction]

Height of Basin Side: 33.02 cm*

Basin Total Height: 33.02 cm*

Font Height (with Plinth): 90.17 cm*

Trapezoidal Basin: 68.58 x 68.58 cm*

Notes on Measurements: * Pike (1989: 22)

REFERENCES

Pike, Joan H.K., "Medieval Fonts of Ireland", [Supplied courtesy of The Dept. of the History of Art, Trinity College, Dublin], [Ireland]: [Privately printed], 1989