KELLS

In 1868, the parish of Kells contained the following places:

"KELLS, a parish, market and post town, in the barony of Upper Kells, county Meath, province of Leinster, Ireland. The parish is 5 miles long by 1 mile broad. The surface is watered by the Blackwater and Moynalty rivers. The greater part is pasture. The land consists of a good and well-cultivated soil. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Meath, value with three others, £1,151, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, standing in the town, has a detached tower and spire. It was erected by Thomas, first earl of Bective, and was rebuilt, according to the authority of an inscription on the tower, in 1572, by Bishop Brady. It contains several monuments, one of which is in memory of Sir T. Taylor, ancestor of the Headford family. The Roman Catholic chapel has an altarpiece by Guido. There are parochial schools, and schools founded by Miss Catharine Dempsey, at a cost of £7,000, besides several other schools, and a Sunday-school. In this parish are the mansions of the Headford family, and of Archdeacon Stopford, on the banks of the Blackwater. Kells is an incorporated town (formerly a parliamentary borough), situated near the river Blackwater, and on the cross roads from Kingscourt to Mullingar, and from Dublin to Enniskillen, 9 miles N.W. of Nevan, and 39 from Dublin. It is a station on the Kells branch of the Dublin and Drogheda railway. It consists of four or five principal and well-built streets, and has a sessions-house, bridewell, branch bank, savings-bank, police-barracks, dispensary, &c. It publishes the Meath Herald. The town was chartered by Richard II., and returned two members to the Irish parliament. It is now governed by a sovereign, provosts, and 24 burgesses. The trade of Kells is not very considerable. In the centre of the town is an ancient stone cross richly chiselled. Near the church is a curious stone-roofed cell, in which it is alleged St. Columbkill dwelt. A lofty round tower stands in the churchyard, and at Hill of Lloyd is a pillar some hundred feet high, erected by Thomas Earl of Bective. Kells was anciently called Kenlesse, and was the site of a religious house of St. Columba. It gave name to a bishopric which was united to that of Meath in the 13th century. Shortly after the Anglo-Norman conquest, Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, made it a central military station, threw a wall round it, and rebuilt the abbey, which was burnt in 1156. Kells Poor-law Union has 14 elect divisions, and lies within counties Meath, Cavan, and Westmeath. The workhouse is constructed for 1,280 indoor paupers. Saturday is market day. Fairs are held in February, May, July, September, October, and November."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2018