1970:11 - DUNGIVEN td, Derry

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Derry Site name: DUNGIVEN td

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number:

Author: Mr. Alan Harper, Ancient Monuments Branch/Min. of Finance

Site type: Religious house - Augustinian canons

Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)

ITM: E 669208m, N 909042m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.924296, -6.920341

The Augustinian Priory of Dungiven stands c. 1 mile south of the present village of Dungiven, sited on a bluff overlooking the River Roe to south and west.

Excavations connected with the conservation programme of the Ancient Monuments Branch of the Ministry of Finance were began in the Autumn of 1968 and have continued in 1969 and 1970. Work has been concentrated at the west and, although clearance has occurred on the south side and at the east end.

The western limits of the earliest stone building extant are indicated by the Antae surviving at the south-west quoin of the nave. However the bulk of the west wall originally exposed is clearly a late reconstruction, and is flush butted to the north wall which runs on beyond the line of the original building. Clearance of destruction debris showed that at some stage in medieval times the nave had been extended westward. This extension may coincide with the addition of the choir to the east and which was shown to be imposed on ground already used for burial– the disinterred remains from here were found reburied to the east of the east-end in a shallow charnel pit, with which medieval everted rim coarse pottery was associated.

Inside the south-west angle of the nave the foundation of a rectangular tower was uncovered.

Beyond the extension to the nave at the west end, a cobbled yard, and a room with a flagged floor and with steps leading to an entrance to the church in the south side appear to be of post-reformation date since the wall structure incorporates pieces of ‘Bangor Blue’ slate, the import of which was late. Walls of late date run southward from the south-east coign of the choir, from the junction of the choir and nave, and from the original, and the extended, west ends of the church.

The late wall at the junction of nave and choir seals a medieval pebble floor with associated hearth and occupation material. An earlier, medieval, wall flush-butted to the foundation of the nave is in turn sealed by this floor. Early burials which are cut through by this wall all dug into the fill of a deep (2m +) rock-cut channel which runs under the foundations of the earliest church building, and which yielded a crucible of early type.

There were indications at the south side’s west end of a wall which may be earlier than the nave.

Excavations have now established that

1) Earlier occupation, and probably a building—possibly a church—existed on the site before the 12th century church which forms the earliest standing remains.
2) The church was extended at the west end in the medieval period. This extension was probably blocked off from the nave and the original west end restored but the extension continued in use, perhaps for secular purposes, in the post-Reformation period when additions of a secular nature were made at the west end.
3) A range of medieval buildings existed along the south side, and the existence of a conventional layout is strongly implied.