1997:424 - ATHLUMNEY HOUSE, Kilcarn, Meath

Archaeological test-trenching took place at Athlumney House, Kilcarn, Navan, Co. Meath, between 15 and 17 September 1997. The site is in a field above the flood-plain of the River Boyne. Two souterrains were identified exposed within the quarry during an inspection as part of an Environmental Impact Statement (August 1995). The features were recorded and reported to the Sites and Monuments Record. A souterrain had been recorded near Athlumney House by Sir William Wilde in 1895.

The assessment was undertaken to identify whether there were any indications of Early Christian activity associated with the souterrains.

Eleven test-trenches were mechanically excavated within the area of maximum disturbance of the proposed development. The trenches ranged from 20m to 50m in length and were opened to a depth of 1.3m, sufficient to reveal natural sand and gravel. Trenches 1 and 2 were located along the line of the eastern perimeter of the field on low ground and had a similar stratigraphy. Trench 1 was located at the north-east quadrant of the field and produced four sherds of medieval pottery found within a grey silt layer containing occasional flecks of charcoal, at a depth of between 0.4m and 0.55m below the present ground surface.

Trench 3 was located parallel with the southern field boundary. It contained a compact brown clay (depth 0.35–0.75m) overlying a grey/brown layer of sand with a high stone content (depth 0.75–0.95m), which in turn overlay a compact gravel (depth 0.95–1.20m). No features of archaeological significance were encountered.

Trenches 4–7 and 10 all contained a similar stratigraphy. They were located on the hillock in the central portion of the field. They failed to produce any structural evidence or artefactual indicators for medieval activity on the site.

Trenches 8 and 9 were located at a distance of c. 50m away from, but along the line of, the quarry at the north-western quadrant of the field. Both revealed a compact stony clay (depth 0.5–0.7m) which overlay a laminated layer of coarse sand (depth 0.7–1.2m). There were no indications of a souterrain in either of these trenches.

Trench 11 comprised a fine sandy clay (depth 0.4–0.6m) overlying fine-grained sand and silt with gravel intrusions (depth 0.6–0.95m). No features of archaeological significance were encountered.

There are no archaeological features associated with the souterrains within the area covered by the test-trenches. The only indication of any medieval activity on the site were the body sherds of pottery which occurred within Trench 1, at the north-eastern quadrant of the field. No further excavation was deemed necessary, but licensed monitoring was recommended should any further ground disturbance occur at the north-east of the site.

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