Friday, 26 June 2015

Navan Abbey

From Thomas Walsh's History of the Irish Hierarchy:

Navan at the conflux of the Blackwater and the Boyne. It gives name to the barony. The monastery of Navan for canons regular of St. Augustine was either founded or rebuilt by Joceline Nangle about the end of the twelfth century under the invocation of the Virgin Mary. If it had existed previously cannot be determined. Navan was formerly a town of high repute and had been walled by Hugh de Lacie. Christian Ó Loddan was abbot in the reign of King John.

A.D. 1284 Richard was abbot.
A.D. 1346 Thomas was abbot.
A.D. 1391 John de Warren was elected abbot.
A.D. 1450 John Bole was abbot who procured a bull from Pope Nicholas V granting certain indulgences to all persons undertaking pilgrimages to this abbey or contributing to adorn or repair it.
A.D. 1509 Peter Manne was abbot.
A.D. 1512 Patrick Cantwell was abbot.
A.D. 1539 an annual pension of fifteen pounds was granted to Thomas Wafer, the last abbot. On the site of this abbey a horse barrack has been erected for troopers to do duty there instead of the meek servants of the gospel. This priory with three hundred and sixty acres of land were granted at an annual rent to Robert Dillon.