County: Meath Site name: MONKNEWTOWN td
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Mr. P.D. Sweetman National Parks & Monuments
Site type: Embanked enclosure
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 699229m, N 775519m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.719899, -6.496543
The site is a large, almost circular earthwork c. 90m in diameter; the bank measures c. 1.5m high and 10m, wide where best preserved. A layer part of the bank has been ploughed out.
Investigations of the central area showed that the top-soil directly overlay fluvio-glacial material, and no stratification was apparent. Some prehistoric flint work was found mixed in with post-medieval and modern pottery.
Further excavations, just inside the north east sector of the bank at first proved equally barren. However, in the eastern area here was found a scatter of charcoal and potsherds, lying directly on the gravel. The pottery included some Beaker sherds and some coarse ware of Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age type. In this area two burials were also found.
The 1st burial was found quite close to the bank, and consisted of an oval pit, lined with drystone walling, and covered by a capstone measuring 3.5m x 2m x 0.5m thick. The pit was some 2m deep in the ground, and at the bottom was a stone setting which contained a cremation; on top of the cremation lay the skull of a male adult of 30 to 40 years of age. No grave-goods were found.
The second burial lay just east of the first, but was of a rather different nature. It was covered by a scatter of cobble-stones, resembling a small paved area set into the gravel. Beneath these was found a setting of 6 upright flagstones, which narrowed to their lower ends; the setting thus formed a basket-shaped feature which contained a cremation. The flagstones measured 60cm. high, and the widest was 50cm across.
Near these two burials were found two hearths with quantities of charcoal; three other hearths were found, and a small shallow ditch running north-south.
In the north west part of the site a scatter of stones was found to cover an oval pit, 1.5m in diameter and 0.59m deep, with loose gravel filling and a flagstone floor. This must have been a pit burial but no remains or grave-goods were found. All round this area lay a scatter of charcoal, Beaker pottery and flint flakes.
Further investigation of these two areas will take place in April 1971.
