County: Tyrone Site name: LISLAIRD
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 15:16 Licence number: —
Author: Declan Hurl, EHS
Site type: Cist
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 622046m, N 882804m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.692874, -7.658029
A farmer disturbed a cist adjacent to a path while removing a post-and-wire fence at Lislaird, Castlederg, which necessitated an investigation to record and reconstruct the monument, according to his wishes.
The cist was located within a pit, 1m x 0.63m and 0.45m deep. It was composed of four side-slabs and a base-slab raised above the surface of the soil by a number of small stones. It contained light grey-brown loam with quantities of cremated bone. This was identified as the remains of an adult female, 20–35 years old, with a few remnants of a child, 1–4 years old. There were no artefacts recovered.
The impression was of a previously disturbed grave, an interpretation that was supported by the lack of a capstone and the presence of a metalled path at the level of the tops of the side-slabs. The dislodged side-slabs were repositioned, and the cist and the pit were backfilled. A large slab was used as a replacement capstone.
5–33 Hill Street, Belfast BT1 2LA
