1989:005 - LEGARHILL, Armagh

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Armagh Site name: LEGARHILL

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number:

Author: K. Neill and CJ. Lynn, Historic Monuments and Buildings Branch, DOE (NI).

Site type: Burial ground

Period/Dating: Undetermined

ITM: E 686166m, N 845640m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.352147, -6.674512

Bartlett's well-known picture-map of Armagh, made in about 1601, appears to show a ruined church on the crest of Legarhill (then Mullaghcreevie) close to the north side of the old road running westwards past Navan 'Fort'. Monitoring of bulldozing on the ridge top, north of the present lane, revealed a small cemetery of medieval or earlier date a diffuse and disturbed occupation layer with bones and a few sherds of medieval pottery, traces of two sets of foundations, one of which may be post-medieval, and the line of an ancient road. This may be the one shown on the early maps and lay 20m north of the present lane running over Legarhill. It formed the northern limit of the cemetery area.