County: Kildare Site name: MONASTEREVIN: Moore Abbey
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 26:1-3 Licence number: 96E0024ext.
Author: Clare Mullins
Site type: Burial
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 662637m, N 709931m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.136229, -7.063897
Excavations at Moore Abbey in 1996 revealed a timber-lined pit, probably of medieval date, located on the original bank of the River Barrow, and an area of ironworking debris upslope from this. Monitoring of the foundation trenches and ground clearance associated with development at the site was also carried out in 1996 (Excavations 1996, 53).
Monitoring of all service trench excavations associated with the development was carried out in February and March of 1997. All archaeological works at the site were in compliance with a condition of planning.
During the excavation of a trench for an ESB cable which was to carry power from a small substation located north of, but close to, the old medieval abbey, several human burials were identified at a depth of approximately 0.5m beneath the surface. What may have been partly disturbed burials were also identified at a higher level within the trench, as well as possible grave-cuts directly beneath the sod. It was possible to reroute most of the line of the proposed cable in order to avoid further disturbance to the burials, while the level of the proposed ESB cable was raised over the remainder of the route to a level which did not encroach upon the burials.
People recall burials being disturbed during earlier building works at the abbey and it would appear that the burial-ground may have extended up to 50m north of the old medieval buildings.
What appeared to be a collapsed stone wall was also met during the excavation of the ESB cable trench. This feature consisted of large angular stones, up to 0.3m in length, which were encountered at a depth of 0.5m below ground level, continuing to a depth of at least 0.3m. It measured 2.1m north-south but its east-west extent could not be determined. Mortar was attached to some of the stones and there were fragments of mortar in the fill between the stones. Fragments of human bone were also found amidst the rubble associated with the stone, suggesting that this feature post-dated, at least, the earliest use of the ground as a burial area. The presence of burials south of this feature and their absence in a substantial area to the north of it may indicate that it delineated the burial area in some way.
No further features or deposits of archaeological interest were uncovered during the course of the watching brief.
39 Kerdiff Park, Monread, Naas, Co. Kildare
