After last Wednesday’s entry about the mausoleum at Fore, County Westmeath (To the Fore « The Irish Aesthete), here is the burial site of another branch of the same family. Located in Killare, this one holds the remains of the Nugents of Ballinacor, a property they acquired in the first half of the 17th century. Although confiscated by the Cromwellian government, Ballinacor was subsequently returned to Edmond Nugent after he had been declared ‘An innocent Papist.’ Indeed, successive generations remained loyal to their Roman Catholic faith, one of them, John Nugent, fighting for the French army and being awarded the Cross of St Louis for his bravery at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745, when the British and Dutch forces under the Duke of Cumberland were defeated. Nugents remained at Ballinacor, an 18th century house, until the aftermath of the Great Famine when it was sold in the Encumbered Estates Court in 1852. Ballinacor was demolished as recently as 1995, meaning this mausoleum provides the only surviving evidence of the Nugent family’s long presence in the area.
The vault in Killare Graveyard was erected by John J Nugent of Rosemount, and son of Edmond Nugent of Ballinacor, in memory of his wife Anna Mary who died in February 1876. The build contract was given to local builders O’Connor Bros of Whitewood and Bishopstown, Ballymore/Boher parish, Westmeath. The stones were reputably brought by cart from Clonmacnois. During the building, the architect claimed that the Nugent family crest, the cockatrice, was too low on the front wall, so the brothers has to take down and rebuild the wall in line with the plans. The thick walls supported a double roof, the inner arched roof was made of brick and this was separated from the outer roof by a layer of mortar. The mausoleum contains five coffins. The extra work/time involved with rebuilding the front wall resulted in the O’Connor brothers going out of business, they subsequently emigrated to the U.S. Their skill as stone masons is also evident in Killare with the wonderful monument they erected to their parents.