After twenty years of extensive family history research, Jeff Homes from Pennsylvania visits Monreagh in the hope of locating the grave of his tenth great grandfather, Reverend John Hart. We were pleased to help him find the actual site in the grounds of Taughboyne Church in Donegal, Ireland. The site is immediately below the bell tower at the far end of the church. During a very stormy night the Church bell fell on the grave and cracked the flat stone.
The inscriptions are written in Latin. Fortunately, Jeff can read and interpret Latin which helped us to confirm that this was indeed the site.
Four members of the Laggan Presbytery, notably John Hart of Monreagh, met on February 2, 1681, to arrange a day of fasting and prayer for the Church. They decided upon the 17th day of each month. For this, they were summoned before a Bench of Magistrates at St Johnston. In June, they were summoned to appear before the Lord Lieutenant and his council in Dublin. They were fined £20 each and ended up in Lifford gaol for more than eight months. The case reflects the poor tolerance for other faiths at the time. John Hart is buried at Taughboyne Graveyard, near Saint Johnston Village in East Donegal.
