Post medieval church, medieval church and burial ground.


The parish of Arbory appears to have borne a dual dedication to St Cairbre of Coleraine and St Columbcille: medieval documents refer to 'terram Sancti Carebrie' (1153) and 'ad ecclesiam Sancti Carber' (1291), but also to 'terram Sti. Columbae, herbery vocatam' (1231) and 'Parochia Sti. Columbae' (1511).


The reference to a church in 1291 would appear to confirm the presence of a medieval church on the site, and this may have been in whole or part the structure replaced in 1759 by the present church. The medieval church is itself likely to have replaced an older keeill structure.


The present church was dedicated on 1st November 1759 by Bishop Hildesley. Just four years later, the church was extended eastwards by the construction of a new chancel. The church bells were originally housed in a simple belfry above the west door which survived until 1915 when a new, and rather incongruous, tower was added.


Other than it being known that the previous church stood to the south of the present one, nothing is known of the latter's size or character; the same can be said of any earlier keeill which prompted the adoption of the site as the centre of the parish some time in the 12th century. It has been suggested that such a keeill may have been sited to the north of the current church, at the highest point in the old cemetery enclosure.


Lintel graves have been found on several occasions when digging modern graves, in 1893, 1902 and 1951. Graves were also found during building works outside the cemetery on the south side.


A sumner's pulpit stands outside the gate on the east side of the graveyard; its antiquity is unknown.


The manner in which the cemetery is confined by straight walls and roads on the east and south sides suggests the potential for the medieval graveyard to extend beyond the modern boundary, and this would appear to be confirmed by the previous discovery of graves already mentioned.


The grid reference is centred on the church.