In 1833, as a result of the Church Temporalities Act, the BOARD OF FIRST FRUITS BOARD OF FIRST FRUITS was reorganised as the Ecclesiastical Commission, which continued the Board's church building programme. For the first ten years the existing arrangement whereby there was an architect responsible for each of the four ecclesiastical provinces was retained, with WILLIAM FARRELL WILLIAM FARRELL as architect for the province of Armagh, FREDERICK DARLEY FREDERICK DARLEY for Dublin, JOSEPH WELLAND JOSEPH WELLAND for Tuam (GEORGE PAPWORTH GEORGE PAPWORTH from 1837-1842?), and JAMES PAIN JAMES PAIN for Cashel. In 1843 a centralised arrangement was adopted, and; Joseph Welland was appointed the Commissioners' principal architect, based in Dublin.. Following Welland's death on 6 March 1860, his son WILLIAM JOHN WELLAND WILLIAM JOHN WELLAND and WILLIAM GILLESPIEWILLIAM GILLESPIE , a district inspector for Cork and the surrounding counties, were jointly appointed to the post, their duties being as much administrative as architectural.
The Commission came to an end with the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland on 31 December 1870.
References
(1) Letters from William Brady and Peter Madden to Martin Blake, MP, Brooklodge, Galway, 8, 11 Mar 1837, in NA, Blake of Ballyglunin papers M6936/38/75,79 (information from Kevin Mulligan).
108 work entries listed in chronological order for ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSIONERS
Repairs and alts. to windows, pulpit and reading desk, pews. Church dates from 1691.
Refs:
Angélique Day & Patrick McWilliams, Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Vol. 11, 64; W.D. Girvan, Historic Buildings in North Derry (UAHS, 1975), 59(illus.),61(no.203); Alistair Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster (1979),110
'The church... is a spacious and venerable structure, for the repair and enlargement of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have £1361.'(Lewis) According to Costegalde & Walker works included of raising of outer walls of side aisles & north transept so that one roof covered entire structure.
Refs:
Samuel Lewis, A Topographical dictionary of Ireland (1837), II, 233; Claude Costegalde & Brian Walker, The Church of Ireland: an illustrated history (2013), 368 (illus.).
New church on site of earlier one. Opened and consecrated, 23 Oct 1841. Attributed to Frederick Darley[2] by O'Brien.
Refs:
Clergy of Cashel, Emly and Leighlin (Ulster Historical Foundation, 2012), 272-(illus.),273; Colm O'Brien,'The churches of Frederick Darley Jnr: identification and attribution', Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies 16 (2013), 89.
New church, identical to church at Eglish, Co. Offaly, drawings for which are signed by Joseph Welland. However O'Brien attributes design to Frederick Darley[2].
Refs:
Colm O'Brien,'The churches of Frederick Darley Jnr: identification and attribution', Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies 16 (2013), 80-82(illus.),89; exterior and interior illus. in Claude Costegalde & Brian Walker, The Church of Ireland: an illustrated history (2013), 342.
New church, said to have been built by Bagenal family, on site of existing one. FS laid by Lady Downes, 24 Feb 1840. Opened, 22 Feb 1841. Consecrated, 21 Oct 1841. Attributed to Frederick Darley[2] by O'Brien.
Refs:
Clergy of Cashel and Emly; Clergy of Leighlin (Ulster Historical Foundation, 2012), 268(illus.); Colm O'Brien,'The churches of Frederick Darley Jnr: identification and attribution', Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies 16 (2013), 90.
Proposed enlargement comprising addition of single bay to nave and chancel with triple lancet window.
Refs:
Unsigned, drawing(s) stamped 'ER.C.' and dated 14 Mar 1846 in RCB Library, portfolio 6; Claude Costegalde & Brian Walker, The Church of Ireland: an illustrated history (2013), 215(illus.).
Tenders invited for alterations and repairs, for Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
Refs:
B 8, 24 Aug 1850, 404 (unsigned, undated drawing(s) for addition of 1-bay chancel with 5-light EE window in RCB Library, portfolio 5, may be for this work)
Design for proposed new church with nave, chancel, N vestry, S porch, hammerbeam roof, bellcote on W gable. According to Costegalde & Walker, church was built around 1850. Somewhat similar to Corrawallen church, designed by Joseph Welland.
Refs:
Unsigned, undated transfer drawings and estimate prepared by John R. Godley, esq., for £974.0.9 in RCB Library, portfolio 20; Claude Costegalde & Brian Walker, The Church of Ireland: an illustrated history (2013), 242(illus.).
Proposed new sittings. (May be the 'works' for which tenders were invited by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in May 1853, see Armagh Guardian, 13 May 1853.)
Refs:
Unsigned undated drawing(s) in RCB Library, portfolio 2B
Addition of transept. Tenders invited for enlarging same, May 1855. Church reopened, 23 Nov 1856; 'though much cannot be said for the exterior eappearance, it is internally both commodious and comfortable' (Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette)
Refs:
Unsigned, undated drawing for roposed S transept, robing room, porch & new stairs to gallery. in RCB Library, portfolio 2B; Armagh Guardian, 18 May 1855; Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette I, No. 9, 173; Kevin V. Mulligan, The Buildings of Ireland: South Ulster (2013), 443.
Proposed new church with 4-bay nave, S porch, chancel, N robing room. Bell turret on W gable. Octagonal pulpit. FS laid on Whitsun Tuesday, 1857. Consecrated, 7 Jun 1858. Contractor: William Graham.
Church reopened in summer of 1858 after rebuilding by Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Event probably relates to unsigned, undated plan for proposed rebuilding of N side and new sittings in RCB Library.
Proposed rebuilding by Ecclesiastical Commissioners, retaining tower of old church.
Refs:
Unsigned, undated drawing(s) in RCB Library, portfolio 17; B 18, 28 Apr 1860, 267; Adrian Hewson, ed., Inspiring Stones: a history of the Church of Ireland Dioceses of Limerick, Ardfert, Aghadoe, Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh & Emly (1995), 62(illus.)
Rebuilding (incorporating W tower of church of 1815, for which see Lewis). 3-bay nave, chancel, robing room to N. (Closed, 1986.)
Refs:
Unsigned drawing(s), 1860, in RCB Library, portfolio 2, see RCB Library - architectural Drawings, http://www.archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org (last visited, Feb 2016); DB 2, 1 Jul 1860, 301; J.A. Murphy, The Church of Ireland in Co. Kerry (2016), 119(illus.),120.
New church started by Oct 1860. Proposed interior improvements including new seating, tower, 'to be carried out by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners', 1864.
Refs:
DB 2, 1 Jul,1 Oct 1860, 301,352; 6, 15 May 1864, 99
Proposed new timber pulpit, reading desk and communion rail.
Refs:
Unsigned, undated design (with plan of existing internal arrangement) in Representative Church Body Library , see RCB Library - Architectural drawings, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/1266-1267 (last visited, Feb 2017).
Unsigned drawing, dated 3 Sep 1861, in RCB Library, portfolio 2B; Alistair Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster (1979), 362; Claude Costegalde & Brian Walker, The Church of Ireland: an illustrated history (2013), 127(illus.)
Unsigned, undated drawing(s) in RCB Library, portfolio 2A; Alistair Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster (1979), 199; Robin Marsh, Brackaville - a parish of the Church of Ireland (2010) (information from Dr David Lawrence, Gladstry, Powys, Jul 2012); illus. in illus. in Claude Costegalde & Brian Walker, The Church of Ireland: an illustrated history (2013),121.
Enlargement of church of 1822 by Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Chancel added to 'barn-like' church. Old vestry opened into church 'thus forming a kind of transept'. New pews, pulpit, reading desk. Flagging re-laid. Alts. principally financed by Leader family. Stained glass chancel window gift of Mrs Leader in memory of her husband, William Leader of Rosnalie. (Church closed circa 1962.)
Refs:
DB 3, 1 Sep 1861, 620; Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette 4, No. 50 (15 Aug 1863), 847; B 21, 22 Aug 1863, 605.
Unsigned design, dated 1863, in Representative Church Body Library, portfolio 3, see RCB Library - Architectural Drawings, https://archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org/items/show/623 (gives date as 1882).
Proposed restoration and rebuilding. Part of funds will be supplied by Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
Refs:
DB 6, 15 Nov 1864, 236 (unsigned, undated ground plan of cruciform church in RCB Library, portfolio 7; note says 'Chancel Rail same as Kilfinane, Dio. Limerick', which may date drawing to 1850s)
Repairs, for Ecclesiastical Commissioners. (Church destroyed by Whiteboys, 1762, rebuilt 1763, enlarged 1820; 'a neat edifice with a square embattled tower' (Lewis)). Addition of chancel, 1867.
Refs:
DB 8, 15 Jan 1866, 28; Adrian Hewson, ed., Inspiring Stones: a history of the Church of Ireland Dioceses of Limerick, Ardfert, Aghadoe, Killaloe, Kilfenora, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh & Emly (1995), 60,61(illus.)
Reopened after repewing, moving communion table to chancel, new font, heating, &c. Contractor: John Waldron, Abbeyleix. Cost defrayed by subscriptions and grant from Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
Enlargement by addition of N aisle, 'probably by Welland and Gillespie' (Larmour). New pews. Contractor: McLaughlin & Harvey.
Refs:
Drawing, signed by Hemry McLaughlin and William M. Harvey, 24 Jun 1867, in RCB Library, portfolio 6 (illus. in on-line catalogue www.archdrawing.ireland.anglican.org; IB 11, 1 Jan 1869, 9; Paul Larmour, Belfast: an illustrated architectural guide (1987), 16 (No. 27).
Restored and beautified 'chiefly through bounty of W. Domville, Esq., of Ballinakill'. New pews, pulpit, reading desk and organ chamber.. Domville family of Heywood have given new organ, richly carved stone font, velvet uphostery, pew furniture, coronas & bracket lights. Contribution from Ecclesiastical Commissioners.(According to Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette, 'The east window, which is of great antiquity, contains some of the rarest and most original gems of ancient glass painting.')
Refs:
IB 10, 15 Feb 1868, 40; Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette 10, no. 105, 20 Mar 1868. 66; Irish Churchman 1, no. 2, 21 Mar 1868, 30; exterior illus. in Clergy of Cashel and Emly; Clergy of Leighlin (Ulster Historical Foundation, 2012), 198.
Proposed addition of chancel, robing room, with new sittings, pulpit, &c.to church of 1822. Chancel with 3-light Early English window.
Refs:
Unsigned, undated tracings in RCB Library, portfolio 2A; Alistair Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster (1979), 218-9; illus. in Claude Costegalde & Brian Walker, The Church of Ireland: an illustrated history (2013),120.
Proposed addition of new chancel to church of 1824 with robing room N, new pulpit, &c.
Refs:
Unsigned, undated drawing(s) in RCB Library, portfolio 6; illus. in Claude Costegalde & Brian Walker, The Church of Ireland: an illustrated history (2013),121.