St. Peter's Church
Brief History of St Peter’s
In 455 AD, St. Patrick visited the ring fort at Dunmurraghill and dedicated the nearby holy well to St. Peter. After the Vikings destroyed the monastery at Dunmurraghill in 1035, a wooden church was built at Donadea. This was replaced by a stone construction in 1220.
The Aylmer family acquired the lands around the church in 1549. In the 17th century, Sir Gerald Aylmer built the mansion adjacent to the church, the remains of which can still be seen. In 1626 he rebuilt the stone church, but by 1806 an ecclesiastical report described it as "in a tottering state but neat and clean". Between loans and grants, Sir Fenton Aylmer raised £2000 which was used to build the present church.
In the 1860's, a coke burner was added in a chamber beneath the aisle to provide heating for the church. Although no longer in use, it can be seen through the wrought iron grating in the floor of the aisle. In 1879, the organ was moved from the chapel in the castle to the extended gallery in St. Peter's church. Access to the gallery is via a narrow spiral staircase. Following the amalgamation of the parishes of Kilcock and Donadea in 1896, the pulpit, prayer desk, bell and lectern were all donated to the church.
In 1935, Lady Aylmer died and her will left generous provisions to both the Church of Ireland and St. Peter's church. Water damage caused by leaks from the tower has caused considerable damage in the past century. In the 1930s extensive repairs were carried out and these were repeated in 1998 when the church was closed for a year whilst repairs costing £32,000 were completed.
The architecture of the church is in sharp contrast to St. Michael & All Angels. In St. Peter's the lines are much simpler and less ornate. The box pews are typical of this style of country church and the simple designs of the windows are a sharp contrast with those in St. Michael & All Angels.
To the right of the alter is a memorial stone dedicated tot the memory of William Aylmer and his involvement in the 1798 rising. William led a troop of rebels who overran and occupied Kilcock for a short time during the rising. Ironically, the defending yeoman were led by his distant relations Sir Fenton Aylmer and Michael Aylmer. The memorial stone was created by his parents and remained in the chapel in the mansion until 1998 when it was relocated to it's present position.