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Lickbla (pronounced ''Lick-blay,'' in Irish: ''Leicc Bladma'' meaning "Bladma's Leacht or Hearth"), is a historic monument, 
The religious parish was subsumed into Castlepollard Parish (St. Michael), and existed as a 'vicarage' and is listed as having tithe evaluation in 1837 of "£276 18s. 5 ½d. of which £123 1s. 6d. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar (of Castlepollard)"
The present historic monument consists of a ruined medieval 'barn' church aligned towards east south east (rather than due east) surrounded by an ovoid graveyard possibly set within a larger earlier enclosure. The medieval church, most likely constructed in the 13th century as part of the newly formed manor of Lickbla, dedicated the Blessed Virgin Mary, was in use until the early modern era. It is set on a small hill at the crossing of the River Glore within a river flood plain, also bisected by a mill-race, and may have consisted of a rocky outcrop making it a significant landmark prior to the monument's construction. If such a rocky outcrop exists under the ruins and graveyard, this would have given rise to the name "Leicc" or stone/hearth.
The "present remains consist of a nave and chancel church with post medieval entrance gate inserted into E end of S wall of chancel when chancel was converted into private burial area by the Nugent family. The walls of the church are built with coursed rubble with base batter visible on the east gable of church which survives to full height and contains a single light round-headed window with hollowed recessed spandrels and square hood-moulding above. The punch dressed jambs with glazing grooves of the medieval window do not match the round headed arch of the window which was possibly inserted into the window in the late 16th/ early 17th century. The interior of the chancel which is smaller in width than the nave was converted into a private burial area in the 19th century if not earlier. Inside the chancel in front of the E window there is the headstone of Reverend John Murray, priest of Castlepollard who died in 1805. Only the springing stones of the chancel arch survives on the S side. A low stone wall running across this opening was built in the post-medieval period blocking access from the nave into the chancel. Possible remains of a broken out window in NE corner of chancel. According to Cogan (1867, 400) the parish of Lickbla was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and formed part of the monastic estate of Fore abbey (WM004-035010-). Cogan described the church ruins of Lickbla as following; ‘the old church measured fifty-five feet seven inches (16.75m) by eighteen feet six-inches (5.6m)’ (ibid.)"
As with Foyran and Rathgarve, the current extant remains are of an early medieval church set within a possible earlier early Christian enclosure, adjoined by a motte & bailey. Lickbla, in addition is located near the ruins of a medieval mill/castle complex which would have included a bridge over the River Glore (running from Lough Glore to the River Inney) as evidenced by Ordnance Survey maps of circa 1900.
Currently, the graveyard is heavily overgrown and the church is poorly preserved. The present owner is Westmeath County Council following divestment from the Church of Ireland, following disestablishment, in 1870.
Lickbla civil parish
at the IreAtlas Townland Data Base
Lickbla civil parish
at townlands.ie
Lickbla civil parish
at The Placename Database of Ireland Civil parishes of County Westmeath {{Westmeath-geo-stub
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
, religious parish, and townland, in County Westmeath
"Noble above nobility"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country
, subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...
, Ireland. It is located about north of Mullingar
Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census.
The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...
. St. Bladma is listed in the Martyrology of Oengus (died 11 March 824) as a saint: "''Bladma, i.e. from Blad son of Conmac Cas Clothach, grandson of Tachall son of Cermait, son of the Dagda, a quo nominatur. Or Blad son of Breogan, a quo Sliab Bladma''" whose feastday is 7 April and 20 November.
The civil parish of Lickbla is one of 8 civil parishes in the barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of Fore in the Province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
. The civil parish covers . Lickbla civil parish comprises 24 townlands: Ardnagross, Ballynagall
Baile na nGall (Irish, meaning "town of the foreigners), unofficially anglicized as "Ballydavid", is a Gaeltacht village in the Ard na Caithne region of the Dingle Peninsula of County Kerry, Ireland. As the 2003 Official Languages Act revoked ...
, Ballynagall Little, Ballynameagh, Balrath,
Bigwood Bigwood is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alfred Bigwood (1857–1940), English cricketer
* Fiona Bigwood (born 1976), British equestrian
* James Bigwood (1839–1919), English manufacturer and politician
* Jessie B ...
, Camagh
Camagh () is a townland in the civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of Templeport and barony of Tullyhaw. The local pronunciation is ''Commagh''.
Geography
Camagh is bounded on the north by ...
, Carlanstown, Castletown Lower, Castletown Upper, Clonrobert, Clonsura, Curry
A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included.
There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in tradit ...
, Derrycrave, Doon,
Gilbertstown, Lickbla, Littlewood, Martinstown, Mullagh, Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
, Rathcreevagh, Robinstown and Rochestown
Rochestown is a primarily residential area in Cork City, Ireland. Originally a somewhat rural area in County Cork, housing developments in the 20th and 21st centuries have connected the area to Douglas and nearby suburbs. The area was formally in ...
. The neighbouring civil parishes are: Foyran to the north, Rathgarve to the east and south, Mayne to the south, Street
A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, ...
to the south and west and Abbeylara
Abbeylara () is a village in the easternmost portion of County Longford, Ireland, located about three kilometers east of Granard on the R396 regional road. Its name is derived from a monastery, the great Abbey of Lerha, founded in 1205 by ...
(County Longford
County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...
) to the west.
The religious parish was subsumed into Castlepollard Parish (St. Michael), and existed as a 'vicarage' and is listed as having tithe evaluation in 1837 of "£276 18s. 5 ½d. of which £123 1s. 6d. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar (of Castlepollard)"
The present historic monument consists of a ruined medieval 'barn' church aligned towards east south east (rather than due east) surrounded by an ovoid graveyard possibly set within a larger earlier enclosure. The medieval church, most likely constructed in the 13th century as part of the newly formed manor of Lickbla, dedicated the Blessed Virgin Mary, was in use until the early modern era. It is set on a small hill at the crossing of the River Glore within a river flood plain, also bisected by a mill-race, and may have consisted of a rocky outcrop making it a significant landmark prior to the monument's construction. If such a rocky outcrop exists under the ruins and graveyard, this would have given rise to the name "Leicc" or stone/hearth.
The "present remains consist of a nave and chancel church with post medieval entrance gate inserted into E end of S wall of chancel when chancel was converted into private burial area by the Nugent family. The walls of the church are built with coursed rubble with base batter visible on the east gable of church which survives to full height and contains a single light round-headed window with hollowed recessed spandrels and square hood-moulding above. The punch dressed jambs with glazing grooves of the medieval window do not match the round headed arch of the window which was possibly inserted into the window in the late 16th/ early 17th century. The interior of the chancel which is smaller in width than the nave was converted into a private burial area in the 19th century if not earlier. Inside the chancel in front of the E window there is the headstone of Reverend John Murray, priest of Castlepollard who died in 1805. Only the springing stones of the chancel arch survives on the S side. A low stone wall running across this opening was built in the post-medieval period blocking access from the nave into the chancel. Possible remains of a broken out window in NE corner of chancel. According to Cogan (1867, 400) the parish of Lickbla was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and formed part of the monastic estate of Fore abbey (WM004-035010-). Cogan described the church ruins of Lickbla as following; ‘the old church measured fifty-five feet seven inches (16.75m) by eighteen feet six-inches (5.6m)’ (ibid.)"
As with Foyran and Rathgarve, the current extant remains are of an early medieval church set within a possible earlier early Christian enclosure, adjoined by a motte & bailey. Lickbla, in addition is located near the ruins of a medieval mill/castle complex which would have included a bridge over the River Glore (running from Lough Glore to the River Inney) as evidenced by Ordnance Survey maps of circa 1900.
Currently, the graveyard is heavily overgrown and the church is poorly preserved. The present owner is Westmeath County Council following divestment from the Church of Ireland, following disestablishment, in 1870.
References
External links
Lickbla civil parish
at the IreAtlas Townland Data Base
Lickbla civil parish
at townlands.ie
Lickbla civil parish
at The Placename Database of Ireland Civil parishes of County Westmeath {{Westmeath-geo-stub