1988:51 - COLP WEST, Meath

Several excavations were carried out between May and October 1988, ahead of the construction of the North-eastern Pipeline, Phase 2, running from Abbotstown to Dundalk.

The site in a field adjacent to the 'Mill Road' some 500m to the north-west of the well known medieval foundation of Colp with its nearby fort and castle. It is situated on a gentle north-facing slope at the summit of the long rise in ground from the southern bank of the River Boyne southwards, just below 100ft O.D.

The site was discovered when removal of topsoil revealed a concentration of articulated and disarticulated human skeletal remains, some of which were placed in stone lined graves. All in situ remains had an east-west orientation. A spread of dark humus soil containing animal bone and charcoal was also noticed some 10m to the south of the skeletal remains. Excavation revealed that the pipeline had crossed through a cemetery which was found to lie in the north east quadrant of a substantial enclosure ditch. Further enigmatic features revealed included an annular gully and some possible postholes which appear to pre date the burials here.

The pipeline corridor crosses the east-north-eastern quadrant of a large enclosure within which a Christian cemetery was found; aerial photography by Leo Swan reveals the faintest traces of a possible enclosure describing a diameter of up to 200m which was not revealed on the 1:10,000 or 1:5,000 vertical aerial photographs used for the purposes of preconstruction Survey.

Within the pipeline corridor two arms of an enclosure ditch, to the north and south of the cemetery concentration, were located at a maximum of 37m apart internally. These were partially excavated. However, during the trenching operation, two further ditches, lying 4m-5m apart up to 20m to the north and south of the portions excavated, came to light. Their presence was neither suspected nor traced in subsoil prior to the machine excavation of the pipe-trench and there was no evidence for their orientation or function, or for their relationship with those portions revealed and excavated. This may point to the existence of a multi-vallate enclosure or may indicate a series of overlapping enclosures of differing dates. There is some suggestion that the northern arm of the ditch excavated prior to trenching may not actually relate to the southern arm that was excavated. The fill in each case was very different, the northern ditch having a remarkably homogenous southern portion had a fill composed of numerous well defined layers of humic, dumped soils and silty clays which yielded sherds of both E-ware (predominantly), some sherds of B-ware and also contained numerous animal bone fragments.

This problem can only be addressed by further aerial photographic coverage at suitable times and perhaps by further excavation of the site.

The Cemetery
The remains of over one hundred individuals were exposed, excavated and retrieved for study. All burials were aligned east-west, many placed on top of earlier burials and fourteen were placed in stone-lined graves.

The stone-lined graves were not lintel-graves in the strict sense of the term, as none were actually covered with lintel-type stones. Rather, the graves were roughly stone lined, sometimes with flat slabs, but also with rounded boulders and only some were roughly covered with flattish slabs which didn't necessarily oversail the edges of the grave.

Burial was concentrated in a 20m stretch of the pipeline corridor towards the northern arm of the ditch revealed prior to trenching, and extended beyond the corridor to both the east and west. To the east the burial cannot have extended very far as the ditch ran very close to the fence-line of the corridor. However burials occurred in this area in a position that one would have expected to find, a bank of upcast associated with this particular ditch. To the west, the greatest spread of burials (north-south) occurred under the driving track of the pipeline indicating that further intensive burial exists to the west of the area exposed, lying under the area covered by topsoil and probably beyond the western limits of the pipeline corridor.

The burial activity appears to have been carried out over a long period of time and with no great consideration for pre-existing interments. There were several levels of burials, the deepest occurring at the west of the area excavated under the driving track. Many burials were either cut, disturbed, or completely displaced by later burials, especially at the east of the area excavated where burial was quite shallow and most skeletons were revealed immediately below topsoil. In places, some regard was taken of the remains already interred; the long bones and skulls disturbed by the interment of later burials were sometimes carefully gathered and placed to one side of the latter. There was also some evidence for the repeated use of at least two of the stone-lined graves.

All the bodies were laid out carefully, with the hands at either side. In some cases the hands, joined, were placed low in the pelvic area. Occasionally, one hand was placed across the midriff. Only one example displayed the medieval 'prayer-pose'. Almost all the skeletons retrieved appeared to be those of adults. There were a few obvious adolescents but no children.

All the skeletons, with the exception of one, were placed inside the line of the ditch, the one exception was revealed within the ditch fill but many were situated, as described above, in the area in which one would expect a bank of upcast from the northern arm of the excavated portion of the ditch.

Other Features
After removal of most of the skeletal remains, an earlier annular gully was traced lying 0.7m inside the inner edge of the northern arm of the excavated ditch. This forms roughly one half of a curvilinear feature with a diameter of c. 12m. The gully fill towards the south yielded several sherds of E-ware and B-ware. The gully was steep sided and flat bottomed 0.8m 0.9m wide and 0.5m 0.7m deep. Unfortunately there was nothing in the fill to suggest a structural function for this feature.

Several post hole like features were also revealed and there were some traces of burnt soil deposits in places but none formed any interpretable pattern. It is possible that further features may have been removed or disturbed due to the intensive burial in the area.

Towards the south of the cemetery area the old ground surface appeared to have been quite severely truncated by cultivation. A limited investigation of this area was carried out in selected cuttings but no archaeological features were revealed beneath a deposit of dark soil which had been spread from the fill of the ditch northwards.

Finds
Finds included E ware and B ware from the southern arm of the ditch burial fill and features into which the burial had been cut. One fragment of particular importance is a lid fragment of E ware, recovered from the ditch fill. One body sherd was recovered from the fill of one of the burials lying very close to the gully. Similarly, a small fragment of double sided, decorated bone comb and half a decorated blue glass bead were recovered from the fill of burials close to the position of the gully. A small tanged iron knife was recovered from the ditch fill.

It would appear that the E ware and B ware recovered represent the remains of pre burial occupation/activity on the site, possibly related to the use of the gully and the other enigmatic possible pre burial features.

A large quantity of animal bone was retrieved from both arms of the ditch, a significant proportion of which is obviously butchered.

Background
The name of Colp, or specifically 'Inber Copla' or 'Inber Colpidi', appears in some of the country's earliest ecclesiastical documentary sources in which context it refers to the mouth of the River Boyne. The fact that it is mentioned in Muirchu's Life of Patrick, written c.AD 680, when Armagh was laying claim to all rights and possessions of the See of Patrick, seems to indicate that it was at least likely to have been in existence during the 5th-6th centuries. Whether the references mean this specific enclosure is not clear, but the combined evidence of both townland name and presence on this site of both E-ware and B-ware, along with stone lined Christian burials, certainly suggests that this site may be the one referred to in the texts. Also, the site appears to have been dedicated to the saint Athchain (genealogies based on the Book of Leinster (12th century) and not to St Columba, to whom the present church of Colp is dedicated. Aitheachain of (Inber) Colpidi is commemorated in The Martyrolgy of Tallght written AD c.900 which indicates that he died before this date. By association, the foundation to which he is dedicated must have been in existence before AD 900.

The present church of Colp 500m to the south-east of the site discovered on the pipeline is dedicated to St Columba, and while the dedication is likely to be pre-Norman it would probably not have dated from before the 9th century when contacts between Kells and lona became very close. It is possible that at that time the Columbans may have established a house or hostel for their travelers which would have been built outside the boundaries of any pre-existing Patrician establishment.

Further documentary research is required before a more definite outline can be established. I am grateful to Betty O'Brien for all the above information.

5 St. Catherine's Road, Glenageary, Co. Dublin