Newtown Jerpoint / Jerpointchurch / Newtown nr. Jerpoint / Newtown of Jerpoint

The lower base of a stone font photographed 2 September 2024 by A.-K. D. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jerpoint_font_base.png] [accessed 21 July 2025], is captioned: "Base of the a baptismal font of the "Ossory" type in the graveyard of St Nicholas' Church in Jerpointchurch, the lost village of Newtown Jerpoint. It has been moved several times within that area, according to the landowner. This is a screenshot of a 3D model I made, because I forgot to take an ordinary photograph."
The font noted above must be the one in Murtagh's article (1997) that reports the presence of a baptismal font base in the ruins of the parish church and graveyard of St Nicholas, Newtown Jerpoint: "Within the graveyard there are three important stone monuments: the first, which dates to the thirteenth century, is located 10.7m to the west of the church (Fig. 4) is a finely carved medieval table - font base (Fig. 11) with a central perforation (illustrated in OPW 1995, 21). The bowl for the baptismal font is now stored in Jerpoint Abbey." Murtagh (ibid.) refers to an earlier study of the font by Miriam McAlinney (1996 M.A. thesis, vol. 1, 36, 57, 58; vol. 2, 35), and to an earlier history of the site by Pilsworth [cf. infra]. In his brief history of the disappeared town of Newtown Jerpoint Pilsworth (1958) notes: "The most striking object is the ruin of the ancient church. This was probably built about the end of the twelfth century"; Pilsworth (ibid) further mentions a tomb and a cross base in the churchyard, but not a font: "In the graveyard to the north of the church is a very interesting slab with a carving of an ecclesiastic in full priestly vestments; the hands lie flat on the breast; the head is bare, and the feet, which partially appear below the alb, are covered with shoes or slippers. At the right-hand side of the head of the effigy is a carving of a human head with a triangular mitre; on the left side is a similar head without a mitre. It may date from about 1200, but we do not know whom it commemorates. Nearby is a large circular block of stone with a square socket on it. This is what remains of the Market Cross of Newtown Jerpoint, which has, no doubt, been removed to the graveyard at some time for safety." Pilsworth (ibid.) adds that the town itself "was founded about 1200, either by the Earl Marshall or more probably by Griffin Fitz William, one of the early Norman followers of Strongbow and brother of Raymond le Gros, who obtained as his lordship Knocktopher, Oldtown and Newtown. It thus had no direct connection with Jerpoint Abbey." Pilsworth (ibid.) concludes his article with the end of the town: "for some unknown reason Jerpoint was deserted in the first half of the 17th century. There is a local tradition (which may well be a true one) that the town was visited by a severe plague", and provies a map of the former town.
[NB: BSI visited Jerpoint Abbey in July 2025; the staff did not have any information on a font on the site [cf. supra]]