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Monkstown Abbey is a medieval and post-medieval ecclesiastical site comprising a church and graveyard situated in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. The monument, also known as Monketone, Ballynamanagh and Monkstown Church, occupies land underlain by the Mercia Mudstone Group, a geological formation of mudstone, sandstone and limestone dating to the Rhaetian period. This varied substrate would have influenced both the site's drainage characteristics and the materials available for construction.
The cemetery remains an active burial ground, preserving the continuity of religious use across centuries. A distinctive hollowed stone within the graveyard represents a notable physical feature of the site, though its precise function—whether ceremonial, structural or utilitarian—reflects the complex history of medieval Irish religious practice.
The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 3864, ensuring its conservation for future generations. Monkstown Abbey's survival as both an archaeological monument and functioning cemetery demonstrates the enduring significance of medieval ecclesiastical foundations in the Irish landscape, maintaining their spiritual and social role long after their initial establishment.
Monkstown abbey, monketone, ballynamanagh, monkstown church, monkstown cemetery. medieval & post-med. church & graveyard with hollowed stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3864. View the official record →
Monkstown Abbey is a medieval and post-medieval ecclesiastical site comprising a church and graveyard situated in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3864.
Monkstown abbey, monketone, ballynamanagh, monkstown church, monkstown cemetery. medieval & post-med. church & graveyard with hollowed stone dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a ecclesiastical site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Monkstown abbey, monketone, ballynamanagh, monkstown church, monkstown cemetery. medieval & post-med. church & graveyard with hollowed stone is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 3864.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cashel (7.2 km), Sub-rectangular enclosure (8.1 km), Court tomb (8.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Monkstown abbey, monketone, ballynamanagh, monkstown church, monkstown cemetery. medieval & post-med. church & graveyard with hollowed stone's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Monkstown abbey, monketone, ballynamanagh, monkstown church, monkstown cemetery. medieval & post-med. church & graveyard with hollowed stone stands on Mercia Mudstone Group, bedrock that formed in the Rhaetian. The rock here is mudstone, sandstone and limestone.