1977-79:0059 - NEVINSTOWN, Meath

Excavation of four sites at Nevinstown, Co. Meath was necessitated by impending mining development by Bula Ltd.

Site I: Mound
Site I was a flat-topped mound situated at the end of a gravel ridge above a bend on the Blackwater river. The site had been enclosed by three concentric ditches, only one of which was complete. The innermost ditch completely enclosed the site but decreased in depth from c. 2.5 to 5m as it progressed from the north around the edge of the ridge. In section it varied from U- to V-shaped. The reason for this great variation in depth is probably that the south western and western parts of the site were considered sufficiently defended by the natural slope of the ground which was much steeper in those areas. The middle ditch was comparatively short and skirted the site on the south and east where there was a very flat approach along the top of the ridge. The full extent of the middle ditch was not discernible on the south due to quarrying of the site. On the east it ran into and became part of the inner ditch while on the south it merged with the outer ditch- this was recorded in section only due to quarrying. The third and outer ditch surrounded the site on three sides and maintained more or less the same depth for its full length. It petered out to the west just where the ground began to slope away most steeply. Several drainage channels directed run-off from the top of the site into the inner ditch. All ditches produced large quantities of animal bone refuse.
Excavation of the interior of the site produced evidence of three phases of activity. There does not appear to have been any significant gap in time between these phases. A large number of postholes and similar features (phases I and II) was uncovered showing that one or more buildings had existed and had been burned, but so far it has not been possible to isolate any one building. In phase II a platform (2m x 3m approx.) was constructed using large limestone flags. Due to damage, its full extent could not be recorded but it was delimited by a kerb on the eastern side. In and around this feature large quantities of slag, iron bloom and two iron knives were recovered. It is suggested that the area may have served as a workshop.
The mound-like effect had been achieved by heightening an of the ridge
Phase III: A coarse gravel was used and excavation through this proved fruitless, the only finds being two sherds of eighteenth-century pottery. No features were recorded.
The finds included some medieval pottery of local manufacture similar to that found at Randalstown, Co. Meath and at Dublin. Two stick pins (one of the skeumorphic class), a kidney-ring, a single-sided bone comb with iron rivets, two bone needles, an iron shears, a barrel padlock, a blue glass bead and fragments of two jet rings were also found. A late twelfth- or early thirteenth-century date is indicated. It should also be noted that the mound and the motte at Navan are intervisible. However, so far it has not been possible to determine whether the site is of native or of Norman origin.

Urn Burial
An Encrusted Urn and a Food Vessel Vase were recovered from a pit dug into the southern edge of the ridge, within the area enclosed by the inner ditch of the site described above. The urn survived to a little over half its original height and contained the cremated remains of ‘at least two adults and one child’ (report courtesy of Prof. CA. Erskine, Trinity College). The food vessel was undamaged and contained a few fragments of human bone and 2 waste flakes of flint. Both vessels were inverted.

Site II: Standing Stone
The stone consisted of a rough limestone slab 1 .75m in height standing at the highest point in the townland. The stone was known locally as Cloch na Draoi (stone of the magician). Excavation showed that it had been inserted into a shallow pit. There was no evidence to suggest a date for its erection but it was probably erected to serve as a cattle-scratcher.

Site III: Souterrain
Before excavation the site of the souterrain was visible as a sinuous depression c.20m long. The souterrain was in very poor condition and it is likely that most of the passage had been robbed of its stone. It was possible to determine that a passage c.12m in length led into a roughly circular chamber originally of beehive type. This survived to a height of three or four courses. No finds were recovered.
The souterrain does not appear to have been enclosed. The evidence for habitation in the immediate area is very slight although some patches of ‘occupation’ soil were found. A pit-like feature contaned some stones, two of which were pieces of a saddle quern.

Site IV: Wayside Cross and Killeen
Part of the shaft and the base of this cross survive. An inscription in Latin records that it was erected in 1588 by Michael de Cusack and his wife Marguerita Dexter. It is one of a group of late medieval crosses in County Meath. The excavation uncovered the remains of the plinth on which, according to 19th-century sources, the cross originally stood. The plinth, of which two courses survived, had been well built using cut limestone blocks. It measured c.2.5 by 2.5m. The fill consisted mainly of watter-rolled pebbles, the bulk of which had been removed and lay in heaps outside the plinth. Around the base of the plinth the remains of 7 or 8 infants and young children were found, proving the truth of a local tradition that the area had been used as a Killeen.