County: Armagh Site name: HAUGHEY'S FORT, Tray
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: James P. Mallory, Dept. of Archaeology, Queen's University, Belfast
Site type: Hillfort
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 683433m, N 845302m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.349570, -6.716638
Haughey's Fort is a large enclosure within the Navan Complex of sites and situated c. 3/4 mile west of Navan Fort. The peripheral ditch of the site, forming a rough circle whose maximum diameter is about 150m, has long been filled in and is traceable only through aerial photographs and a surrounding field boundary. Morphologically the site appeared as a hillfort although there was no confirmation of this. The Navan Research Group decided that a test excavation was a major priority in order to ascertain:
(a) the probable date of the site
(b) the character and dimensions of the bank and ditch
(c) the survival of evidence for settlement
(d) the possible associations that the site might have with other monuments of the Navan Complex, especially the King's Stables which is situated only a few hundred metres away.
After application for funds, a four-week research excavation was jointly financed by the Archaeology Dept., QUB., and the Historic Monuments and Buildings Branch, DOE(NI).
An excavation trench, 3m x 39m, revealed the presence of a substantial number of pits, many filled with flat-rim pottery (compatible with a Later Bronze Age date), charcoal, burnt animal bone, and carbonised seeds. An excavated section of the ditch revealed it to measure c. 4-5m across and 2.3m deep. The basal 1m of the ditch was largely waterlogged and permitted exceptional preservation of wood (hazel, birch, etc.), animal bones and seeds.
The ceramic evidence supports the identification of the site as a Late Bronze Age hillfort. Samples have been submitted for radiocarbon dating and analysis of both faunal and botanical remains is currently under way. A fuller preliminary report of the excavation will appear in Emania, the Bulletin of the Navan Research Group.
