Nendrum Monastic Site | The Stone Carving Collection & Visitor Centre

Originally posted online on 8 November 2014 at rmchapple.blogspot.com

(http://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/nendrum-monastic-site-stone-
carving.html)
Nendrum was an early Christian monastery on Mahee Island in Strangford Lough, just
outside the village of Comber [map]. It is Northern Irelands best surviving example
on a pre-Norman monastery. Mahee Island is named for the traditional founder of the
site, St Mochaoi, a disciple of St Patrick, who is believed to have established a
monastery here in the 5th century. However, no excavated finds suggest that there was
a monastery here any earlier than the 7th century. From historical sources, the
monastery is believed to have continued in operation until sometime between 974 and
1178. Sometime after 1177, John de Courcy established a Benedictine monastery here
as a daughter house of St Bees in Cumbria, though this does not appear to have
endured and prospered. The church on the site continued to function as the local
parish church until its final abandonment in the 15th century. The site was effectively
lost until 1844, when it was rediscovered by the bishop and antiquarian William
Reeves. He set about finding the physical locations of all the ecclesiastical foundations
listed in the 1306 taxation. At Nendrum he was shown what was described to him as a
lime kiln, but recognised it as the remains of the Round Tower. At this time the site
was heavily overgrown and it was not possible to gain an appreciation of its full extent.
Nendrum remained in pretty much this condition until H. C. Lawlor, in partnership
with the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society, directed large-scale
excavations and restoration of the site from 1922 to 1924. Unfortunately, both the
excavations and the restorations were poorly conducted and recorded, and it remains
difficult to disentangle the story of the site from the available records.

The exterior face of the (heavily restored) middle enclosure

The church and the Round Tower

The (reconstructed) sundial

 Chapple Minor attempts to fly off the Round Tower
The site as it stands today is composed of three concentric dry stone enclosures,
though the outermost is difficult to follow in parts. The innermost enclosure contains
the remains of a small church, a decorated sundial, the stump of a round tower, and a
monks graveyard. The middle enclosure contains a number of platforms for huts and
workshops, and the outermost enclosure contain a large cereal-drying kiln. Lawlors
excavations showed that at least one of the huts in the middle enclosure was used as a
bronze smithy during the life of the monastery. Close by these workshops is a structure
interpreted by Lawlor as a school, based on the recovery of iron styli (or styluses, if you
prefer) and trial pieces. Excavation demonstrated that it had a wood and thatch roof
and had been burnt down. The small church was constructed in two periods. The
western portion of the structure with projecting antae may be of 10th to 11th century
date, while the eastern extension and a small annexe to the north are related to the
later Benedictine presence here. Near the church, to the south-east, is an area where
Lawlor discovered a number of what appeared to be hastily-buried bodies, presumably
the human cost of some catastrophe. The sundial dates to the beginning of the 10th
century and was among the collection of carved and decorated stone recovered during
Lawlors excavation. In the late 1990s excavations by Tom McErlean and Norman
Crothers adjacent to the monastic site found remarkably well preserved remains of an
Early Christian tidal mill [see Suggested Reading below and a synopsis: here].
 The cereal drying kiln inside the outer enclosure

The excavated foundation platforms for the school, workshop, etc.

Original western entrance to the inner enclosure

Finds from the site included the styli and trial pieces mentioned above. The excavation
also recovered a remarkably wide variety of finds from the site, including metal knives
and nails, along with pottery and other domestic artefacts. Metal working crucibles
and moulds were recovered from the workshops area, along with items of personal
ornamentation, including brooches and pins. However, the most important single find
from the excavations is the bronze-coated iron bell discovered near the outer enclosure
wall. Such an item would have had the practical use of calling the faithful to prayer,
but was also a potent symbol of the Abbot's power and authority. The artefacts from
Lawlors series of excavations are held by the Ulster Museum
[Website | Facebook | Twitter], though not all are on display.

Overview of the 'monk's graveyard' to the west of the church

Detail of one of the stone-built, lintelled graves

The excavation also produced a corpus of 15 cross-inscribed stones. To secure them
against theft, Lawlor had them built into the west wall of the church. However, by the
mid-1980s they appeared to be deteriorating, due to the effects of weathering and were
moved indoors to the adjacent Visitor Centre. Of the various forms of cross
represented within the collection, none are of the 'classic' ringed or 'Celtic' cross type.
This has led researchers to argue that they date to the 7th and 8th centuries, before the
adoption of the ringed form. Not only is this the largest group of monastic crosses from
Northern Ireland, it also represents some of the earliest carved crosses in Ireland. In
terms of function, they are thought to have been used as simple grave markers for
deceased monks. Within this group are eight examples of what is known as 'The
Nendrum Cross'. This is an outline Latin cross with hollows at the intersections
between the arms and the shaft (or 'armpits'). Cross-slabs of this type are known from
other ecclesiastical sites in Co. Down, but they are all thought to have been
manufactured at Nendrum.

Panoramic overview across the inner enclosure, showing the church and the round
tower
It is this collection of carved stones, now in the Visitor Centre, that I first want to bring
to the readers attention. For all their apparent simplicity, they are extraordinarily
beautiful and of the highest importance for our understanding of both the
development of both burial markers and the monastic cross forms. I have included a
set of annotated photographs at the end of this post that include the crosses and other
stone artefacts on display.
 View of the Early Christian tidal mills from the monastic site
The second thing Id like to highlight is the little Visitor Centre itself. Its off to the left
of the monastery as one enters from the car park, and is discreetly screened from the
majority of the site. So much so that it may easily be missed by the casual visitor. The
central section of the main room is dominated by a model, under a Perspex dome, of
how the site may have looked in its heyday. The walls have some nice boards with
illustrations and short texts on the history, chronology, and context of the site. An
adjacent room has a focus on water milling and the tidal mill. Its all lovely and grand,
but hardly anything to get too excited over. What is worthy of mention though is the
attention to detail and just sheer inventiveness that has been lavished on the childrens
play portion of the exhibit. Its completely tied to the Nendrum site, so its relevant to
all theyve seen about them outside. The little model of how a water-powered mill
grinds corn is simply exceptional and as intriguing to a small child as this adult! Other
child interactive playthings included a soft-play build-it-yourself monastery, and a
more complex 3D jigsaw in wood. If the NIEA were to make copies of the latter for
sale, Id happily join the queue to have one!

Overview of central space in Visitor Centre

with model of the monastery under the dome
 Portion of the Visitor Centre explaining
the tidal mill mechanisms

Beautifully detailed model of the monastery

 Overview of the stone carving collection
As I always say in these Discover Northern Ireland-style posts I hope you enjoy the
photos, but if youre planning a holiday/vacation, please consider coming to Northern
Ireland and seeing these places for yourself!

'The Marigold Stone' is a fragment of an 8th century pillar stone. It is formed of

multiple intersecting arcs to form a complex 'marigold' symbol. The symbol is a
relatively rare find, but does appear to have definite Christian associations and is
known from other ecclesiastical sites.
Incised cross with forked terminals

A very simple, incised cross

 Outline Latin cross with hollows at the
intersections of the cross-bar and the shaft, known
as 'The Nendrum cross form'

Stone mould, possibly for a lamp

Example of 'The Nendrum Cross' form

Example of 'The Nendrum Cross' form

 Example of 'The Nendrum Cross' form

Example of 'The Nendrum Cross' form

Upper millstone (made of Mourn granite) from Mill 2, dated to 789AD

Fantastic model of the milling process

Nendrum 3D jigsaw! I want one!

 Nendrum soft-play monastery ...
absolutely brilliant!

Notes
Gail Matthews' 1995 undergraduate dissertation Nendrum Rediscovered is available
as part of the publicly accessible SM7 file from the NIEA: here.

Virtual Tour of the site available: here.

The NIEA guide card for the site is available as a PDF: here.

Suggested Reading
Anon. 1856 The round towers of Ulster, Ulster Journal of Archaeology 4, 1st Series,
128-139.

Anon. 1999 News: Nendrum tidal mill Archaeology Ireland 13.2, 6.

Crothers, N. 2000 News: further excavations at Nendrum, Archaeology Ireland 14.3,

4.

Lawlor, H. C. 1925 The monastery of Saint Mochaoi of Nendrum. Belfast.

McErlean, T. 2010 Technology and industry: the monastic tide mills of Nendrum in
Murray, E. & Logue, P. (eds.) Battles, boats & bones: archaeological discoveries in
Northern Ireland 1987-2008. Belfast, 65-68.

McErlean, T. & Crothers, N. 2001 Tidal power in the seventh and eighth centuries
AD Archaeology Ireland 15.2, 10-14.

McErlean, T. & Crothers, N. 2007 Harnessing the tides: the Early Medieval tide mills
at Nendrum Monastery, Strangford Lough. Northern Ireland Archaeological
Monographs No 7. Belfast.
O Cuisin, S. H. 1904 The legend of Saint Mochaoi of Nendrum Ulster Journal of
Archaeology 10, 2nd Series, 100-103.

Reeves, W. 1847 Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor, and Dromore. Dublin.

Reeves, W. 1902 A description of Nendrum, commonly called Mahee Island,

embracing its present condition and past history Ulster Journal of Archaeology 8,
2nd Series, 13-22.

Reeves, W. 1902 A description of Nendrum, commonly called Mahee Island,

embracing its present condition and past history [and: here] Ulster Journal of
Archaeology 8, 2nd Series, 58-68.

Scott, C. 1902 Miscellanea: Annals of Nendrum Ulster Journal of Archaeology 8, 2nd

Series, 201.

Towill, E. S. 1964 Saint Mochaoi and Nendrum Ulster Journal of Archaeology 27,
3rd Series, 103-120.

Waterman, D. M. 1958 A note on Medieval pottery from Nendrum and Grey Abbeys,
Co. Down Ulster Journal of Archaeology 21, 3rd Series, 67-73.