Maddoxtown / Blackrath / Maddockstown

An entry in the Journal of Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 1894 by James G. Graves describes the baptismal font at Blackrath [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Extract_from_Journal_of_Society_of_Antiquaries_of_Ireland_1894.jpg] [accessed 27 July 2025]: "Church of Blackrath. - The highly-finished font was long ago broken into two pretty equal parts, and when last seen by me one was used as a headstone. The remains of this font are deserving of the members' study, as it (the font) was not only neatly sculptured, but differs from any of the other fluted fonts to be found in the county, as it has human heads wrought in high relief on each corner[1]. The rank vegetation concealed these remains so completely that they remained unknown to Mr. Graves and Mr. Prim until I informed them of my having discovered them. In one of Miller's sketch-books, there is a drawing of a small font belonging (A.D. 1814) to Sheestown Church. This font had also human heads sculptured on it.". 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 with Early English foliage—its fourth has the Irish triquetra knot. This object is indexed in the Archaeological Survey of Ireland under SMR No. KK020-045003-
A set of digital photographs taken in 2024 by A.-K. D. may be seen in Wikipedia [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Baptismal_font,_Maddoxtown] [accessed 27 July 2025]
A 3-D model of this font by b-unicycling may be seen in Sketchfab [https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/maddoxtown-font-re-upload-6ecd58e4e4054865866a04e5089b16d0] [accessed 19 January 2025].