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Timolin
is a village lying between Moone and Ballitore, in the Barony of Narragh and Rheban East.
This place came into existence in the seventh century, when a religious
establishment was founded here by St. Moling, Bishop of Ferns, the patron saint of the
Clan Kavanagh. Shortly afterwards St. Moling died.
During the reign of King John, Robert FitzRichard, Lord of Narragh, founded a convent here
for the nuns of the Arrosian order, and placed his grand-daughter Lecelina there. He
also built a strong castle.
Two grants of land to religious establishments are on record for this area,
although neither are dated;
A grant to Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, of the Martyr's Abbey outside
the West gate of the City of Dublin and of tithes, ecclesiastical rights and forest rights
of the Norrath.
A grant to the Cistercian Abbey of St. Mary's of Dublin of five carucates of land
in his "tenemento de Norrac Patric". (Narraghmore)
At some date between 1200 and 1222 the lands of Rosrehil were granted by the Abbot
of St. Mary's to Lucia, Prioress of the Convent of Timolin. In 1328, the church here was burned by Edmund de
Butler, and in the reign of Charles I, the castle was taken by the Marquees of Ormonde,
and the garrison was slaughtered.
Today, however, very little evidence of these ecclesiastical buildings remain. Only
a 13th century effigy of a knight, which lies in the Church of Ireland, remains to remind
us of the areas past.
PEWTER MILLS
The home of Irish Pewter is housed in an old mill in the centre of the village.
Here the craft was re-established after centuries in limbo. Pewter, like Bronze, is
the oldest of alloys. The warriors of the Bronze Age would return to celebrate their
victories in festive fare from pewter vessels.
The quality of Pewter was strictly controlled in Ireland from 1697 onwards.
The use of lead as part of the alloy was strictly forbidden. It took many other
countries centuries to reach the level of standards applied in Ireland. Today this
tradition of pewter quality is upheld at Timolin, as it's pewter is reputed to be of the
highest finish in the world. |