County: Meath Site name: RANDALSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: E. Kelly, National Museum of Ireland
Site type: Church and Ritual site - holy well
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 683833m, N 771218m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.683953, -6.730918
A second season’s work was conducted in 1976 at the site of St. Anne’s Chapel and Holy Well. Sections of a large ditch, probably the main enclosure ditch, were uncovered in two areas of the site. These would suggest an area having a diameter of approximately 90m for the main settlement. The ditch was 4m wide and up to 2m deep. Within this, sections of a number of other smaller ditches were uncovered, some curved, suggesting further enclosure ditches, while others were linear. Unfortunately, insufficient areas of the site have yet been excavated for a proper interpretation of these features to be arrived at. An intensive large-scale settlement is suggested and at least five distinct phases of occupation during the Early Christian Period can be deduced. Further burials were found and as previously these were concentrated in the area around the chapel. Some of these have been shown to date to at least the Early Christian Period.
The finds: A quantity of medieval and post-medieval pottery was found. Metal objects included, in bronze, a penannular brooch, two buckles, fragments of ringed pins and decorated mounts, all of Early Christian date, and a medieval silvered bronze mount found with a burial. Iron objects of Early Christian date included knives, a sickle and a small handled pan. Portion of a rotary quern occurred in the main ditch and quantity of waste and worked flints, including scrapers, was found. There were a number of fragments of jet rings or bracelets, and, in bone, some polished bone handles, a needle, and a decorated spindle-whorl. A Saxon glass bead was found in the main enclosure ditch, and a fragment of green glass which may be from a sub-Roman Gaulish cosmetic flask was discovered, together with further fragments from the church windows.
In conclusion, the existence of a large Early Christian settlement has been verified. The existence of an Early Iron Age settlement which was suggested by the 1975 discovery of a 1st century AD Roman brooch and some coarse pottery has not been established, but as less than 15% of the known site has this far been excavated, such a settlement may yet remain to be discovered.
