"The deed of conveyance for the new church and churchyard was signed on 21 July 1815 by the Rector Rev. W. Moore Morgan and the churchwardens James Critchley and J. Virtue. The new church was officially consecrated by the Archbishop of Cashel on 24 October 1817. In 1823 the rectory had an adjoining glebe of three acres, two roods and thirty perches. Evidently a new glebe house was built at this time, or an old one remodelled, as an estimate for a not insignificant sum of 927 (Pounds).7s 1d for Dunlavin glebe house and offices is preserved in the parish tithe applotment book."
Source: "An Irish Village Dunlavin County Wicklow" by Chris Lawlor.
The Rev. Moore Morgan was my 4 x great grandfather. He and his wife are buried in the churchyard and inside the church there are memorial tablets to him and his wife Margaret Morgan, nee Conway. Inside the church vestry are photographs of past rectors as well as a list of them.
His daughter Sarah married William Watson in this church, and it is thought that his sons Owen and John Morgan were both baptised here.
The glebe house mentioned above is in private ownership (2020)
I have just deciphered a handwritten note in the 'Remembrancer' or diary of my gggrandmother Elizabeth Ridgeway for the 7th January 1822, the day she married my gggrandfather Joseph Dyas. it says 'In Dunlavin Church by the Rev Mr Morgan was married to my beloved J Dyas.' Until now I didn't know where or by whom they were married, though I knew it was somewhere near Naas. So your 4xgreatgrandfather married my gggrandparents!
Hello Tim,
What a great little diary entry to have, exactly 200 years later. And my 4x g.grandfather named in it. Thank you for adding that here.
Dunlavin is not all that far from Naas.
Are you in Ireland by any chance? You'd likely enjoy a visit to the church, though it's not open all that often. I was lucky enough to pull up at the gate when a lovely woman was working in the grounds. She was able to get a key and let me into the church, which was a huge thrill. I even attended a Sunday service while there :-)
All the best and thanks again.
