- BALLYMULLEN, CO. LAOIS, Laois

Introduction
During gravel-digging operations in April 1982 two human skeletons were discovered near Abbeyleix, Co. Laois. Although extensive digging for gravel had already taken place at the site, this was the only instance where human remains had been uncovered. One of the skeletons had been lifted, while the other, 7m from the first, had been left in situ. The latter lay 0.3m below ground level and a hollow area of ground had been scooped out of the surface of the gravel for it. The site was investigated by Fionnbarr Moore and the human remains were examined by Laureen Buckley.

Location (Fig. 5.12)
The site was in the townland of Ballymullen, south Co. Laois, close to the border with County Kilkenny.¹⁹ It was located on a hill, c. 120m above sea level, less than 1km south of Ballymullen House and 3km south-east of Abbeyleix town. The hill commands a view over the lower-lying land to the east and west and is part of a series of hills running from north to south. The valley of the Erkina River to the west comprises rich agricultural land, while on lower ground to the east is bog land. A univallate ringfort is recorded in the corner of the field to the south of the site.

Fig. 5.12—Location map, Ballymullen, Co. Laois

Description of site

Grave 1
This had been removed prior to Moore’s investigation of the site, but according to reports the burial had been extended and lay on an east/west axis.

Grave 2
This was discovered at a depth of 0.3m below the current ground level. The grave consisted of a shallow pit scooped out of the surface of the gravel. A number of stones, possibly pillow stones, were visible around the area of the head. The grave contained an extended inhumation (1982:19) aligned west/east. The remains were in a very poor state of preservation but were examined by Buckley and found to be those of a juvenile, probably aged between eight and fifteen years at death. The body had lain in a supine position, with the arms extended and crossed over the left hip bone, and the feet appear to have been bound together, suggesting burial in a shroud. A sample of bone from the burial was submitted for radiocarbon dating and yielded a date of 310±35 BP, which calibrates to 1480–1651.²⁰

Comment
These graves appear to be unassociated with a church site, which would have been unusual in this period. These individuals may have been social outcasts who were not deemed worthy of burial in consecrated ground. Stout and Stout (2008, 72) have noted, however, that some sites that functioned as early medieval secular cemeteries were used for burial again in the postmedieval period. Unfortunately, the limited nature of the investigation at this site precludes further speculation about its origins.

HUMAN REMAINS
LAUREEN BUCKLEY

Description of burial
The burial was very fragmentary and incomplete and was poorly preserved. Very little of the skull remained. There were two small fragments of skullcap that were probably from the parietal bones but could have been from the squamous part of the frontal bone. A fragment of the right mandibular condyle was also present. The vertebral column consisted of the arches of five thoracic and five lumbar vertebrae, and there were also fragments of one thoracic centrum and one lumbar centrum. There were seven ribs from the left side and six from the right.

The left scapula was almost complete and part of the shaft of the left clavicle was present.The distal two-thirds of the left humerus, the left radius and the left ulna remained from the left arm bones. Only a fragment of shaft remained from the right humerus and the right radius was virtually complete, although the distal end of the shaft was fragmented. The distal two-thirds portion of the right ulna was also present. The hand bones consisted of the left and right scaphoid, lunate, capitate and hamate, the left triquetral, ten metacarpals in a fragmentary condition, and seven proximal, three middle and one distal hand phalanges. Both ilia and ischia were present from the pelvis but were incomplete. The centra of the upper two sacral vertebrae remained from the sacrum. The proximal two-thirds of the left femur and the shafts of the left tibia and fibula were present; only the shaft remained from the right femur, tibia and fibula. The calcaneus, talus, first and third cuneiform, four metatarsals and one proximal phalanx survived from the left foot. All the right tarsals survived apart from the right second cuneiform, all the right metatarsals were present and there were five proximal and one distal foot phalanges.

Age
There were no teeth available to enable an accurate assessment of age to be determined. Examination of the state of epiphyseal fusion indicates that the juvenile was over five years of age, as the neural arches were fused to the centra of the vertebrae, but less than fourteen years, as the acetabulum had not yet fused. The estimated length of the femur (300mm) and the length of the humerus (224mm) indicate that the juvenile was probably over eight years of age. Thus it cannot be aged any more accurately than between eight and fourteen years.

Skeletal pathology
At least seven ribs from the left side have extensive periostitis on their internal surfaces, extending from near the head further down the shaft. In some areas the new bone was sclerotic, indicating that it was long-standing, with scooped-out lesions on the bone. Four ribs from the right side had extensive periostitis, with the new bone being in a thick layer near the head of the rib. The presence of periostitis indicates a chronic lung disease such as tuberculosis. There would need to be lesions on the vertebral bodies to confirm the diagnosis, however, and most of the vertebral bodies in this case did not survive. Other chronic lung infections could leave similar lesions.

Summary and conclusions
This poorly preserved inhumation was that of a juvenile probably aged between eight and fifteen years at the time of death. The individual had suffered a chronic lung infection, which may have been tuberculosis but may also have been another lung disease. It cannot be said that this disease caused death, as the body had been able to withstand the infection for some time; nevertheless, the individual would have been susceptible to other acute infections and may have eventually succumbed to one.

19. Parish of Abbeyleix, barony of Cullenagh. SMR LA030-005——. IGR 244860 182490.
20. GrA-29050.