Though the church appears to date from the late 18th century, its origins stretch back to 1622, when construction began according to the will of Sir Richard Hansard, an English soldier who had made his fortune and reputation in Ireland during the turbulent years of rebellion.

The church’s most intriguing feature is a wall monument tucked into a recess in the south wall, where two kneeling figures in Jacobean dress face each other across a draped prie-dieu. These are Sir Richard Hansard and his wife Dame Anne, immortalised in stone alongside an extraordinarily detailed inscription that reads like a legal document. Sir Richard, born in Biskerthorpe, Lincolnshire, had studied at Cambridge before becoming a soldier, eventually serving as Governor of Lifford during Tyrone’s Rebellion and later conflicts. When King James I granted him lands in Lifford and Crohan to establish a corporation, Hansard set about his civic duties with enthusiasm, but his death in October 1619 created an unexpected problem.

The inscription reveals a fascinating inheritance dispute; Hansard had left instructions and funds in his will for building the church, a school, and establishing various annual payments to town officials and teachers, totalling £86 per annum. However, without the proper legal documentation to dispose of his lands by will, the estate automatically passed to his younger brother William back in Lincolnshire. Hansard’s executors, including Sir John Vaughan and Sir George Marbury, weren’t about to let their friend’s charitable intentions fall by the wayside. They purchased the entire estate from William for £1,500, ensuring that the church, school, and perpetual endowments were established exactly as Sir Richard had intended, creating a lasting memorial to a soldier whose final battle was won from beyond the grave.