Rev. Charles W. Finney

The material in this article is based on Parish Records, which commence in the year 1697.

The writer is most grateful to the Librarian of the R.C. B. Library, Miss G. Willis, the National Library of Ireland, and to various local people for material supplied, and especially to the Representative Church Body for permission to reproduce the list of Clergy from "The Succession List of Kildare Diocese" by Canon J. B. Leslie, the Copyright of which is held by the Representative Church Body.

The writer also thanks Mrs. Sheelagh Tyrrell for checking the typescript and cutting the stencils, Miss Maura Kelly and Mr. Joe Wyer for designing the cover, and The O'Brien Group for putting their duplicator at his disposal.

Charles W. Finney.
1978.

EARLY DAYS

Lewis's Topographical Dictionary, 1837, tells us that "Castropetre or Monasteroris is a parish, in the barony of Coolestown, containing, with the market and post-town of Edenderry and the village of Conabury, 4009 inhabitants and consisting of some 8401 acres."

The Parish, he tells us "derives its name, Monasteroris from Sir John de Bermingham, Earl of Louth, who founded an Abbey here, in 1325, for conventual Franciscans, which was called, from his Irish name, Monasterfeoris, or the Monastery of MacFeoris."

Locally it is believed that the name Castropetre is derived from the castle or camp of Peter, Peter being a son or descendant of Sir John de Bermingham. Down through the years the Parish has been officially known as Monasteroris and the Parish Church as Castropetre Church. The old Monasteroris Church, which Castropetre Church replaced, was on the site of the old Abbey, about 2 miles from Edenderry, and parish records, from their commencement in 1697 up to 1778, deal with the old Church. The oldest records are very hard to read and consist mainly of arranging for road repairs in the locality. Obviously it was the duty of the Parish to maintain all roads within it's borders. A typical example is contained in the minutes of a Vestry Meeting held on "Wednesday, the third day of October, 1750", beautifully written and easily legible, it reads as follows:-

"Ordered that the road leading from the town in Edenderry to the bridge of Kishavanna be repaired by the six days labour of the inhabitants of Edenderry, Coneyburrow and Ardenderry and that John Ridgeway, Simon Williams and Oliver Watson be overseers of the same."

Those attending the Vestry Meeting of that date were Arthur Champagne, Rector, Wm. Walsh and Thos. Gill, Churchwardens, and Jn. Ridgeway, George Cunningham and Thomas Carragen.

An entry of the accounts presented at the Annual Easter Vestry on April 8th, 1751, makes interesting reading. At this meeting John Hayslip and Hugh Kelly of Edenderry were appointed Churchwardens.

The account read as follows:-

'For Bread and Wine	£1. 0. 0.
Churchwardens Expenses	1. 3. 0.
Sexton's Sallery	1. 2. 9.
Bellringer	0. 5. 5.
Carters Sallery	1. 0. 0.
Nursing a Foundling	2. 5. 6.
For a 2nd , one this day to the nurse	0. 10. 0.
For repairing a window	0. 10. 0.
For repairing a gate, pews and building a horse block	0. 16. 3.
Total for year	£8. 12. 11.'

another interesting record reads:-

"For reimbursing Mr. Walsh and Mr. Gill for the money they laid out in building a stable and a house for the Sexton £7. 16. 3."

From the year 1725 onwards the roof of the old Church seemed to be a constant source of trouble, and incurred from time to time what would have been very heavy expenditure in those days. For instance, an extract from the minutes of a Vestry Meeting held on July 11th, 1769, reads -

"Whereas we have employed a person of skill to examine the roof of said Church and he reports it to be in a ruinous state and that it will require the sum of One Hundred and Twenty Seven Pounds Sixteen Shillings for timbers, slates and workmanship to repair it effectually."

It would seem from the minutes that this repair was never carried out, even though the following were empowered to borrow the money on the credit of the Parish - David Homan, John Ridgeway, Lyons Cane and Matt. Jackson. The writer thinks it unlikely because a few years afterwards, in 1774, steps were taken to change the site, and build a new Church.

CASTROPETRE CHURCH

A historic Vestry Meeting was held "in and for the Parish of Drumcolley otherwise Castropetre in the Diocese of Kildare on the 23rd day of August, 1774, due notice there of being given according to Act of Parliament".

The minutes read as follows:-

"We the Ministers, Churchwardens and Parishioners in Vestry assembled do unanimously agree, order and enact that the site of said Parish Church be changed and a new Church erected in the town of Edenderry to be for ever hereafter deemed the Parish Church of said Parish and that a humble petition be presented to Simon, Earl of Harcourt, Lord Lieut. Genrl., and Genrl. Governor of Ireland and to the Lords of His Majesty's Privy Council in Said Kingdom praying that an order be made for changing said site."

Signatories at this meeting were:-
Arthur Champagne Rector, J. Ridgeway and Matt Hurst, Churchwardens, Matt Jackson, J. Gratton, Jn. Arnott, Wm. Hurst, Richard Gratton, Jn. Ridgeway, Wm. Gratton and Wm. Proctor.

Events after that meeting seemed to move very quickly. A site was given by Lord Downshire, Mr. Hatch (no address given) seems to have been appointed builder and at a Vestry Meeting held in September, 1777, it was agreed to complete the raising of the 'Hundred pounds necessary for the Parish to expend on the Church new building to entitle them to Four Hundred pounds promised by the Board of First Fruits'.

According to Parish records, the cost of the new Church amounted to £685. 14. 11¾d., of which £400 was given by the Board of First Fruits. According to an Ecclesiastical Commissioners Report (printed 1838), in the possession of the Representative Church Body, the cost was £858. 1. 9d., of which the Board of First Fruits gave a gift of £369. 4. 7½d., the remainder being raised by Parochial Assessment. It is likely that the more accurate figure is that of the Commissioners.

The Church Bell, known as "The Great Bell" in Parish records, was the gift of the Downshire family, and to the best of local knowledge, is still the same bell in use to-day, having been recast and re-hung in the tower, in 1828. It was damaged, obviously by falling from the tower, in 1817.

A note in the Minute Book of the period states that "The Church of Edenderry was consecrated the 8th May, 1778, by the Bishop of Kildare" - Charles Jackson (1765-1790).

An entry dated April 18th, 1786, reads - "For making a Footway leading up to the Church along the Middle Walk £3. 0. 0d." This sum was later transferred towards the cost 'of Lattice Wire to defend the Window.

This little entry signifying the postponement of the Footway up to the Church seemed innocent enough, but the postponement was later to incur the wrath of the Honourable Charles Lindsay, Bishop of Kildare, when he visited the Church in 1804, on July 26th. In his Visitation Book, now held by the Representative Church Body, he states "No walk round the Church and everything wrong". He does, however, state that the Church has a handsome appearance, but that the copper had been stolen from the tower, and the floor below rotted.

In 1803 the minutes of a Vestry state that flags had been laid on the Aisle of the Church at a cost of £22. 15. 0d.

In 1810 a Resolution was passed authorising George Kelly to build a wall around the Churchyard. This was completed in 1813, at a cost of £205. 18. 4d., and a sum of 10. 0d. per year was allowed for the "Care of churchyard, walks, roads etc."

In 1814, on April 12th, the Vestry resolved unanimously that:-

"It would be highly expedient and desirable that a Gallery should be erected at the expense of the Parish and partly at the expense of subscribers. The approach stairs to be chargeable to the parish and that the subscribers shall have a perpetual transferable right in seats allocated to them, according to a plan to be laid before the Vestry by the Minister and Churchwardens. The center part of the Gallery to be appropriated in the front to the future reception of an Organ and in this case to the accommodation of the poor on the parish list."

Signatories to this Resolution were :-
W. Grattan, Vicar, Thomas Walsh and John Bayly, Churchwardens, and George Homan, Robert Astle, Chris. Parlow, George Kelly, Richard White, Richard Gee, William Whittaker, John Whittaker, Michael Butler and Kieper List.

At that time also, the records tell us that fifty kishes of turf cost £3. 6. 8d.

In the year 1815, there is a note of a pair of iron gates and a door costing £29. 0. 6½d. It is reasonable to assume that the gates mentioned are those gates which are at present on the entrance to the Churchyard.

The Gallery first proposed in 1814 was finally built in 1828, to accommodate the large congregation. Seats were to be at the disposal of people subscribing to it's erection. There is no record of the cost involved, except for the sum of £10 expended by the Parish in 'fitting up an entrance to the Gallery'.

1817 TO PRESENT DAY

In 1817 we learn that "music for Divine Service was provided by Flute players", and an entry in the minutes records the purchase of five Flutes at a cost of £3. 10. 0d., and that the players were paid the sum of £3. 0. 0d. per year. In the same year there is a reference to a Commutation of the Window Tax, but the Vestry agreed that it was better to pay the Window Tax rather than agree to the proposed Commutation.

An emergency meeting of the Vestry was held in December, 1822, when it was stated that the Church and tower were badly damaged by a severe storm, and required extensive repairs. Materials listed are 15 refters, 2 tons slates at a cost of £7. 15. 0d., new barge stones and repairing the minarets. The total estimated cost was £27. 0. 0d.

June 7th, 1824, contains a reference to the Composition Tithe Act which "provided for the establishing of compositions for the Tithes in Ireland for a limited time made in the Fourth year of the reign of King George Fourth. Resolved that we have proposed the sum of Four Hundred and Fifty Pounds in lieu of all Tithes for the Parish of Castropetre, which has been accepted by the Vicar and Rector".

January 3rd, 1826 - first reference to the payment of "The Parish Schoolmaster, Mr. Allen, Salary £4. 10. 0d."

From 1835 until 1871 there is very little information in the Parish records, apart from the Annual Elections at the Easter Vestries, and there is no record of expenditure for that period. A brief note in 1841 mentions that the Easter Vestry was held in the Town Hall due to the Church being in the Architect's hands. However, we learn from Lewis's Topography that some time about this period a grant of £374. 2. 9d.was made by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners towards the repair of the Church, perhaps signifying that the Church was more severely damaged in the storm of 1822 than had at first been thought.

On April 3rd, 1888, the Trustees of the Downshire Estate were petitioned, asking that the Church Walk be handed over to the Parish and put under their control. This finally came to pass in 1913, when the Church Walk and Sexton's House were handed over to the Parish.

On February 25th, 1891, it was proposed that the Church be re-seated and re-heated; this was during the Incumbency of the Reverend J. D. E. Newcombe, who seemed to have been a remarkable man, and who was also responsible for building the present Rectory and the Parochial Hall. In May of the same year the tender of H. Hall for church heating by means of a Parretts Stove was accepted and immediately afterwards the tender of G. R. Scott & Co. for seats costing £118. 15. 0d. was also accepted. Almost all of these seats are still in use.

Between 1903 and 1904 wainscoting was erected in the Church and the walls, ceiling and windows were redecorated. The cost of the painting was £21. 11. 8d.

December 23rd, 1907 - the Vestry decided to purchase an organ, from Messrs. Telford & Telford, and install it as a memorial to the Reverend J. D. E. Newcombe as a tribute to the work he had dome in the Parish. The organ was secondhand and cost £130, and is still in use. It was also decided to inscribe the name of Mr. Newcombe on the stone over the Young Men's Institute, which he was responsible for building.

In 1913 the Church interior and exterior were again renovated. The exterior work was done by Mr. Harry Kelly, and interior work by Mr. Edward Watson; in 1931 the Church was wired for electricity and in 1954 Gas Heaters were installed at a cost of £113. In 1972 a beautiful stained - glass window was transferred from the closed Ballyburley Church, and installed on the South side of the Church, beside the organ, and a hand-painted Altar Frontal, made and painted by the late Mrs. Treseder for Ballyburley Church, was fitted to the Edenderry Communion Table.

In 1973 the Church was examined by Mr. G. Henry, Diocesan Architect, and the roof was found to be in a very dangerous condition, and in need of immediate re-roofing. At a meeting of the Select Vestry on October 3rd, 1973, it was decided to have the work carried out as soon as possible. At a later meeting it was decided to have the exterior walls re-plastered and dashed, the interior re-painted and a central heating system installed. The work of repair and renovation was carried out by G. W. Kelly Ltd., at a total cost of £10,450. The central heating was installed by Hurst Bros. at a cost of £1,354. Together with fees and other charges the total cost amounted to £12,746. and thanks to the generous support of Parishioners, former Parishioners, friends, the local Roman Catholic Community, the Business firms and Banks, the debt was cleared by December, 1975. Thanks to the Mothers' Union and a Parishioner, the Church was completely carpeted and it was also presented by the same Parishioner with a gift of a mower for the Graveyard. A Baptistry was incorporated inside the Church door, using the lovely Font from Ballyburley Church.

GENERAL PAROCHIAL NEWS

Monasteroris Parish would seem from the records to have been variously known as Castropetre, Drumcooley and Edenderry at different times. The Parish was on its own until shortly after 1871, when an attempt by the Diocesan Secretaries to unite Ballyburley with Monasteroris was defeated by the Vestry. They did, however, accept a proposal by the Secretaries to unite "Ballymacwilliam and the East portion of Ballynakill parishes to Monasteroris and to add the western detached portion of Monasteroris to Killaderry parish". An entry in 1873 deals with the appointment of two Churchwarders for Ballymacwilliam, William Kennedy and John Lowe. At the same meeting R. H. Matthews and John Smith were elected Synodsmen for Monasteroris, H. Gill and John Hipwell Synodsmen for Ballymacwilliam, with Lord Downshire, B. M. Ball and R. H. Matthews being elected Parochial Nominators for the New Union. This is the first recorded election of Synodsmen and Nominators. Ballymacwilliam Parish continues to be mentioned until 1882, when all reference to it ceases.

The Archbishop of Dublin proposed on January 2nd, 1917, that "The Parish of Ballyburley be united to the Parish of Monasteroris". This was accepted unanimously by the Vestry and passed by Kildare Synod on Tuesday, October 16th, 1917, and the first meeting of the Registered Vestrymen of the United Parish of Monasteroris and Ballyburley was held in Edenderry Parochial Hall on Tuesday, January 1st, 1918, at 3.0 p.m. Those present were - Rev. R. H. Bodel, Chairman, His Honour Judge Wakely, K.C., Messrs. W. N. Odlum, J. C. Smith, H. Nelson, J. Alesbury, H. N. Welland, R. J. Mulholland, R. Laing, D. I. and R. Gilliard. At this meeting Judge Wakely, W. Odlum and J. C. Smith were elected Parochial Nominators, Judge Wakely and W. Odlum Rector's Churchwardens for Ballyburley and Monasteroris respectively, with C. B. Peyton and R. G. Browne People's Churchwardens. Select Vestry members were J. C. Smith, R. N. Potterton, J. Alesbury, R. J. Mulholland, H. Nelson, T. J. Langain (?), R. Laing, E. J. Beaumont - Nesbitt, S. Rait-Kerr, H. Welland, R. Gilliard and P. Cobbe.

Ballyburley Church continued to exist until it was de-consecrated on August 29th, 1972, by His Grace the Archbishop of Dublin.

In 1968 the present Parish of Monasteroris, Clonsast and Rathangan came into being, and very quickly became strong numerical, financial and co-operative Group of Parishes which work very well together.

THE RECTORY

The Ecclesiastical Commissioners Report in 1838 gives the information that there was no Glebe house for Monasteroris and that the Incumbent paid the yearly sum of £35 for house-rent. This situation continued until May 21st, 1883, when a Vestry meeting, chaired by the Rev. J. D. E. Newcombe, was held to 'take steps to provide a Glebe House for Edenderry, and a subscription list was opened'. An application was ordered to be made to the Trustees of the Downshire Estate for a site. Mr. Newcombe was a person who believed in getting event moving quickly because, on July 26th, 1883, the Vestry were informed that "The Downshill Estate were prepared to grant three English Acres of the field called Cokery Hill as a site for a Glebe House on the usual terms". A building committee was immediately set up and empoweded to consult with Architects about a suitable plan for the house. The members were G. Grattan, J. Ridgeway and G. Tyrrell. In 1885 the plan of the Diocesan Architect, Mr. Fuller, was accepted and in 1890 it was reported to the Vestry that the Deed of Conveyance of the Glebe House and Lands had been lodged with the Representative Church Body by the Solicitor for the Downshire Estate. Mr. G. Tyrrell, Mr. P. H. Manners and Mr. W. Odlam were appointed Trustees of the Glebe House and Lands. Unfortunately there is no information as to how much it cost to build, or when it was completed. A stone on the front wall of the house bears the date 1884, but according to the dates in the records, it could not have been built by that date. The most probable date seems to have been 1890. It was a very well laid out house and is still in excellent condition.

During his incumbency, the Reverend R. H. Bodel (1905-1922) purchased the large field adjoining the Rectory land, containing 7 acres 2 roods and 39 perches, and the field was bought by the Parish from him in 1922, thus giving the Rectory a total acreage of 11 acres 27 perches.

THE PAROCHIAL HALL

This Hall, originally known as the Young Men's Institute, was built under the guidance of the Reverend J. D. E. Newcombe. There is no record of what it cost and the only mention of the Hall occurs in 1903, when it states that the Vestry met for the first time in the new Parish Rooms. The Hall is used for most Parish activities, including a Badminton Club, the members of which repainted the interior in 1977, and the Parish installed a new sink and presses in the kitchen.

The Senior School adjoins the Hall and although a very old building, does not appear in any records. At present it is supplemented by a prefabricated Classroom in the playground. At the moment of writing, it is hoped to have a new School in the near future.

All of the parochial buildings, except the Rectory, are situated in the centre of Edenderry, and are approached by means of the avenue known as the Church Walk.

PARISH CATTLE SCHEME

This Scheme was inaugurated in 1938 by Mr. G. Gill and Mr. P. A. Gill, and apart from a few brief periods has continued since then. When first started money was borrowed to buy cattle, which Parishioners grazed free of charge. In a very few years the Scheme became self-sufficient and it continues to lay the basis for a very useful Fund which can be used in the case of major repairs or whenever needed for other parochial purposes.

Monasteroris Alias Castropetre
Vicars and Rectors

Reproduced by kind permission of the Representative Church Body, who hold the copyright.

- 1424 Cornelius O'Lehuhyr.
1437/8 Maurice O'Fyayth.
- 1456 Maurice Yheaith V. is d.
- 1456 Magonius O'Conalean.
1456 Thady O'Sulmacg.
1464/5 Thady O'Concobuyr.
1550 Malachi Hennessy.
1558/9 Thomas Flynne.
1605 Pierce O'Fgleyn.
1628/9 John Wigget.
1666 George Mundy.
1682 Benjamin Mayne.
1685 William Nelson pres. to V. Monasteroris and R. Ballymacwilliam, June 11.
1699/1700 Daniel Tomlinson pres. to V. Monasteroris and Ballymacwilliam, Feb. 22.
1706/7 Thomas Bushe.
1731/2 William Tisdall.
1736 William Gore pres. to V. of M. & R. & V. Kilclonfert, May 3.
1736/7 Thomas Bullen.
1742 Arthur Champagne.
1761 Arthur Champagne Jnr.
1801 William Lambert.
1811 William Grattan.
1817 Patrick Renny.
1818 John Jones.
1830 Graham Philip Crozier.
1842 Henry Moore.
1844 John Edward Murray.
1883 John Dickson Eccles Newcombe.
1905 Robert Hale Bodel.
1922 Henry St. Clair Jennings.
1935 John Barnhill Smith McGinley.
1948 John Godwin Benson.
1949 Ronald Macaulay May.
1964 John Jackson.
1972 Charles William Finney.

These names are taken from the Succession List of Kildare Diocese by Canon J. B. Leslie. It is an unpublished work, the Typescript of which is in the Representative Church Body Library and the Copyright assigned to the Representative Church Body.