Maudlin's Cemetery is a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

cemetery located in

Naas Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is notable for its two large

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

-shaped mausoleums, and as the burial place of much of the local aristocracy.

History

The name is archaically spelled ''Maudlings''; derives from

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...

, often depicted in art as mourning for

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

after his crucifixion, and thus associated with burial grounds (cf. '' maudlin''). At the time of the dissolution of the monasteries (c. 1540),

Great Connell Priory Great Connell Priory () is a former house of Augustinian canons dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint David, situated on the eastern side of the River Liffey, in the Barony of Connell just to the south-east of the town of Newbridge, County Kildare, ...

was noted as possessing seven acres near to "the Maudelein of Naas." By 1606 the lands at Maudlings belonged to the

chantry priest A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or # a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area in ...

s of St. David's Church, Naas. The cemetery dates to a 1780 donation by

John Bourke, 1st Earl of Mayo John Bourke, 1st Earl of Mayo (; ; circa 1705 – 1790), styled Lord Naas (; ) from 1775 to 1781 and Viscount Mayo from 1781 to 1785, was an Irish politician and peer who was MP for Naas (1727–60, 1768–72) and Old Leighlin (1760–68) an ...

; it was enclosed in 1782, although the oldest surviving inscription is from 1828. The west pyramid was built in honour of Anne de Burgh, wife of

Walter Hussey Burgh Walter Hussey Burgh SL (; ; 1742 – 1783) was an Irish statesman, barrister and judge who sat in the Irish House of Commons, served as Prime Serjeant (1777–79, 1782) and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer (1782–83). He was considered t ...

, while the east pyramid is unmarked but believed to belong to another member of the De Burgh family.http://www.hidden-gems.eu/Naas%20maudlins%20cemetery.pdf The cemetery was expanded in 1889. The ''Journal of the Co. Kildare Archaeological Society'' recorded in 1895 that

grave-robbing Grave robbery, tomb robbing, or tomb raiding is the act of uncovering a grave, tomb or crypt to steal commodities. It is usually perpetrated to take and profit from valuable artefacts or personal property. A related act is body snatching, a term ...

took place at Maudlin's, with the body of Moorehead, former governor of

Naas Gaol Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...

, being one of the victims. The two pyramids were restored in 2020 with €65,000 from the Follies Trust.

Notable burials

*Earls of Mayo **

Robert Bourke, 5th Earl of Mayo The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

*the Earls of Clonmell ** *the De Burghs of Oldtown ** Hubert de Burgh (1879–1960) **

Eric de Burgh General Sir Eric de Burgh (; ; 10 May 1881 – 6 February 1973) was a British Indian Army officer who became Chief of the General Staff in India. Military career Educated at Marlborough College and the Colonial College, Hollesley Bay, De Bur ...

, general *the De Robecks of Gowran Grange. *Alexander Taylor (1746–1828), cartographer

Gallery

File:CF Blacker Grave in Maudlin's Cemetery, Naas.jpg, Grave of Lieut. C. F. Blacker, died of wounds received at the

Battle of Mons A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, 1914 File:A Grave in Maudlin's Cemetery, Naas.jpg, Gravestone of the De Robecks File:De Burgh plot, Naas Maudlin.jpg, De Burgh plot

References

External links

Maudlin's Cemetery at historicgraves.com
* {{Authority control Cemeteries in County Kildare Religion in County Kildare Naas 1782 establishments in Ireland