34 Recent Antiquarian Explorations. 



exile but to an ignominous death, which was in great measure 

 precipitated by a few miscreants of his own religion and 

 country, who raised for themselves everlasting execration and 

 infamy." 



We next proceeded to the graveyard of the Protestant 

 Church of Saint Peter's. The Church was built in 1748, on 

 the site of an older one partly destroyed during the siege by 

 Cromwell. Many of the ancient monuments that were in the 

 old Church are now placed around the wall in the Church-yard. 

 Amongst these, there is a most peculiar monument, seven feet 

 high, and has a representation of two skeleton figures, male and 

 female ; the date can be distinctly traced on the stone — " Obit 

 Febri 16, 1516," is quite visible. The tradition about this monu- 

 ment is that the daughter of the Baron of Slane was drowned in 

 the Boyne with her husband or lover, and when recovered the 

 bodies presented the appearance of the sculptured figures. The 

 words " daughter of the Baron of Slane " can be traced on the 

 slab. It is said there is no Church-yard in Ireland where the 

 remains of so many Bishops are interred ; amongst them is 

 Archbishop Ussher. The oldest of these tombs with partly 

 decipherable letters bears date 141 6. The family vault of the 

 Moore's, Marquises of Drogheda, is enclosed by a very plain iron 

 railing. The Magdalene tower is a prominent object when ap- 

 proaching Drogheda. This tower is a portion of the Dominican 

 Abbey founded in 1224, by Lucas de Netterville, beneath which 

 his remains are interred. The town teems with ruins of ancient 

 religious houses. Saint Patrick himself visited this place, and 

 a memorial stone, called Cloch Patrick, may still be seen on 

 the Collon road with the carved impression of the Saint's knees 

 upon it. Hugh de Lacy was Lord of Drogheda and Meath in the 

 early part of the 13th century. There were two boroughs with 

 different Mayors and Corporations ; one on the Louth side, and 

 the other on the Meath side. Continual jealousies and quarrels 

 existed between these Corporations, which led to regular 

 pitched battles on several occasions. By the intervention of 

 the Primate a petition was signed in the year 141 2, and for- 



