- BENALBIT AND DERRYROE, CO. WESTMEATH, Westmeath

Introduction
In February 1969 a short cist containing an unburnt burial was discovered on a farm near Castletown Geoghegan, south Co. Westmeath. The capstone of the cist lay 0.2m below ground level and was removed by locals using a tractor. The find was reported to the NMI by Mr Patrick Herity, a local teacher. A rescue investigation was undertaken by John Waddell and the human remains were examined by Professor C.A. Erskine. This report is based on Waddell’s account of the examination of the contents of the cist.³²¹

Location (Fig. 3.180)
The site was in the townland of Benalbit and Derryroe, 1km from Ballynagore village, south Co. Westmeath.³²² It was situated at the highest point of a low hillock, at an altitude of 80–90m above sea level.

The cist was 5m north-west of a ringfort. No other sites of similar type are recorded from this townland.

Description of site
The cist was rectangular in plan, with its long axis running approximately north/south. Internally it measured 0.8m long by 0.65m wide by 0.5m high (Fig. 3.181). It was formed of four flat, edge-set slabs, each a wall of the cist. The slabs at the southern and eastern sides were slightly shorter than the rest, and their height was added to by the positioning of flat slabs on top so that the capstone would be level.³²³ As it was not possible to excavate outside the cist walls, the presence or absence of packing stones could not be determined.³²⁴ The cist was sealed by a large, square capstone, 1.3m long by 1.18m wide by 0.2m thick. The floor was not paved but was formed of undisturbed gravel.
The cist contained the unburned remains of a young adult female (1969:76) and no accompanying artefacts were found. It was filled to a depth of approximately 0.26m with relatively fine earth and small stones. The burial had apparently at some time been considerably disturbed and the remains do not represent the complete individual. Bone was found throughout the fill; a number of teeth were found at the southern end, while two fragments of the jawbone were found in the northern half. Some skull fragments were also found underneath a femur in the northern part of the cist.

Comment
The human remains from this site have not been dated. In the absence of any associated artefacts, it is assumed to be early Bronze Age on the basis of its form.

HUMAN REMAINS
C.A. ERSKINE

1969:76—numerous fragments, mostly 5–15cm (except for one femur with condyles missing), of skeleton of young adult female (18–20 years) of small stature, probably less than 150cm in height. Notably small sternum, shallow left half of mandible with conspicuously wide angle and unworn molars. Evidence of incomplete fusion of sacral elements. No foot bones present. Few fragments of skull.

321. A summary report is published in Waddell’s (1990) corpus of early Bronze Age graves. It was felt that the plan of the cist merited publication.
322. Parish of Castletownkindalen, barony of Moycashel. SMR WM032-111——. IGR 234501 239836.
323. That resting on the eastern side slab measured 0.72m long by 0.33m wide by 0.08m thick, and that on the southern slab measured 0.49m long by 0.33m wide by 0.1m thick.
324. The measurements of the side stones are as follows (in order of length by width by thickness): northern end stone, 0.7m by 0.5m by 0.1m; eastern side stone, 0.8m by 0.47m by 0.14m; southern end stone, 0.76m by 0.45m by 0.13m; western side stone, 1m by 0.57m by 0.16m.