Derryloran Old Churchyard, corner of Sandholes Road and Drum Road, Cookstown, Co Tyrone

Derryloran Old Churchyard is an attractive and historically significant walled graveyard situated on the south-western outskirts of Cookstown, at the corner of Sandholes Road and Drum Road, on a site overlooking the Ballinderry River. Its origins lie in the early medieval period, and it contains a ruined early 17th century church, two classical mausolea, a notable carved memorial slab, and an 18th century entrance gateway. Together these elements trace an unbroken architectural and historical development across many centuries, providing a crucial visual link with the past and with the origins of the town itself.

The Church

The roofless church ruin is rectangular in plan, aligned east to west, and consists of two gables and two long side walls built of rubble stonework with roughly shaped quoins. In its present form the church dates from the early 17th century, though it incorporates stonework details that appear to go back as far as the 12th century. A church on this site was plundered in 1195, and this is almost certainly the site of the pre-Norman church associated with St Luran. The names of many of the medieval parish priests are known from the late 14th to the mid-16th centuries. Around 1609, the area was leased by Allan Cook, who appears to have rebuilt on the old site; a survey of 1622 recorded the church as almost finished. It was damaged in 1641 and again in 1689, but continued in use until 1822, when a new church designed by John Nash was built in the main street of Cookstown. The church is a monument in state care and was conserved between 1983 and 1988.

The entrance is through a low projecting porch in the centre of the west gable, added in the 18th century. The porch is gabled and contains a Gothic arched doorway constructed from two large chamfered arched stones, with two low stone bench seats along its side walls. The original entrance behind it, set in the centre of the west gable, is a plain semi-circular arched opening. The west gable itself has shaped kneelers at each extremity and rises to the base of a bellcote at the apex. A central rectangular window opening with a timber lintel has been inserted into it.

The east gable is the most architecturally distinguished feature of the church. It has shaped kneelers at the extremities, the one at the south corner embellished with a carved entrelac motif. The gable contains a tall three-light window of finely cut stone in Perpendicular Gothic style, consisting of three round-headed lancets surmounted by interesting Y-tracery, set in a Gothic arched opening with a Gothic arched drip moulding. This is a rare example of fully developed Perpendicular Gothic tracery. Some of this traceried window is replacement work carried out in 1988.

The south elevation contains four rectangular window openings: the two at the west end have flat arched heads, probably dating from the 18th century, while the two at the east end have projecting square drip mouldings. The north elevation contains one featureless window opening, now without a head. Near the west end of the north wall, a large roughly rounded stone projects from the wall; its significance or function is uncertain, though it may have formed part of a porch connected with a now blocked-up doorway. In various places in the south, east and north walls, portions of incised or moulded stonework from an earlier medieval period have been reused at random.

The interior of the church ruin is laid with gravel and contains the Von Steiglitz vault in the south-east corner, together with a number of memorial slabs laid flat.

The Von Steiglitz Vault

The Von Steiglitz vault stands inside the church in the south-east corner. It is a gabled rectangular structure of stone, smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, with a roof constructed of overlapping stone slabs that have been later smooth rendered. The front gable contains a cusped arched inscription panel in the main wall, with a carved sandstone armorial panel in the pediment above. The inscription commemorates Henry Lewis Von Steiglitz, who died in 1824, and other members of the family. The vault was built to mark his death. Attached to its base on the outside is a flat stone slab inscribed to the memory of Walter Lecky, who died in 1694 — reputedly the earliest recorded memorial in the graveyard. Comparatively plain in appearance, this slab is prominently sited and serves as an important reminder of the 17th century character impressed upon this ancient site.

The Stewart of Killymoon Vault

Built up against the outside of the church near the east end of the north wall is the vault of the Stewarts of Killymoon, erected in 1680 and repaired sometime in the 1840s. It is a rectangular structure comprising a pedimented central block flanked by lower parapet-walled wings. The central block has a front of ashlar sandstone with projecting pilasters at the extremities bearing crudely carved capitals, a moulded cornice, and a moulded triangular pediment. The pediment contains a now eroded inscribed plaque recording that it was erected in 1680 and repaired in what appears to be 1840, though it could be 1848 or 1849. Below the pediment, the wall contains a recessed rectangular panel beneath a broad lintel inscribed "Stewart of Killymoon", with the panel itself recording the various members of the family interred here up to 1914. The flanking wings are constructed of snecked sandstone with plain sandstone copings.

Other Vaults and Memorials

The graveyard contains further vaults. In the north-east corner stands an unnamed vault of uncommon design for a mausoleum in Northern Ireland, having curvilinear Dutch gables. It probably dates from the early Victorian period but is now in poor condition. In the south-west corner stands the Adair vault, a gabled structure of rock-faced sandstone with segmental-arched windows to the sides and a large segmental-arched entrance containing a gate-screen of wrought ironwork incorporating arrow-heads and stylised leafage; the same ironwork details appear in the window openings. Inside, plaques in the rear wall record the deaths of various members of the Adair family of Greenvale, Cookstown. Stylistically this vault appears to date from the mid-to-late 19th century.

The Gateway

The entrance gateway is set in the west boundary wall, on axis with the entrance to the church. It is recessed and flanked by curved screen walls. It consists of a pair of iron gates set between tall square piers of regular coursed sandstone blocks with moulded plinths, moulded cornices, ball finials, and shaped brackets to the inner faces. A flight of stone steps leads up to the gateway. To its right is a small stile. The piers are of a classical type and date from the 18th century, providing a handsome entrance from the public road.

Boundary Walls and Setting

The boundary wall surrounding much of the graveyard is of rubble sandstone with rough stone copings. Along much of the front boundary wall runs a narrow grass verge. The south and east boundaries are flanked by overgrown hedges, scrub and trees. Beyond the northern boundary lies the bank of the Ballinderry River, lined with mature trees. The ground within the graveyard is grassed and crossed by a few paths.