2001:1007 - NINCH, Laytown, Meath

The site is located between Beach Park and the railway line at Laytown, Co. Meath. The area currently under excavation comprises the second phase of a housing development. The first phase uncovered evidence for a fulacht fiadh, pits filled with burnt stone and a large ring-ditch. Evaluation of the site carried out in 2000 by James Eogan and Martin Reid (Excavations 2000, No. 760) had suggested a series of ditches, possible Early Christian house slots and an early burial-ground. The ongoing excavation has surpassed all expectations and has revealed a multi-period site ranging from the late Neolithic to the early medieval period.

The site measures 180m north–south by 130m, with a central green area 70m east–west by 55m. This green area will not be developed during the current project and an agreement has been made with Dúchas to allow the preservation in situ of any archaeological deposits there. Site evaluation has shown that archaeological deposits continue for a further 100m north of the northern limits of the current excavation.

The site occupies the summit and the eastern slope of a low ridge and would have originally had a fine view overlooking the sea. Excavations are completed in the southern half of the site and are near completion in the northern half. Initial results would suggest at least six main phases of activity on the site.

Phase 1, late Neolithic
This is identified as a series of over twenty small, circular, subsoil-cut pits and stake-holes and at least one hearth concentrated in an area c. 5m by 3m in the south-western part of the site. In general they had mostly survived in isolation from one another, though a few cut through earlier pits and a later ditch truncated the easternmost pits. None of the pits appeared to form a formal structure, but the survival of the hearth would suggest occupation of at least a temporary nature. Pottery recovered from the pits during the 2000 assessment has been identified as being of the grooved ware tradition, dating from the later Neolithic, c. 2500 BC.

A barbed and tanged arrowhead was found in the immediate vicinity of these pits and suggests the presence of Bronze Age activity in the locale.

Phase 2, Early Christian, c. 4th–8th centuries
The site has produced evidence for an extensive Early Christian landscape, particularly in the northern half. Here the ongoing excavations have revealed a small burial-ground, a double-chambered souterrain and a series of circular enclosures that initially appeared to be concentric, although excavations have since shown that none are contemporary.

The two inner enclosures pre-date the burials and delineate the higher ground along the ridge. Other than a few small pits and a hearth pit, these ditches do not appear to enclose any formal structures such as houses, though it is likely that such structures could not have survived the scarping and deep ploughing that had taken place across the site. The innermost ditch is the earliest and measures 25.5m east–west by 36m, 2m wide by 1.5m deep, and has a terminal along its eastern edge. The second enclosure measures 35m east–west by 40m+ and runs beyond the limit of excavation into the northern edge of the green space. It measures 2.5m wide by 2.5m deep, deepening along the western side. Several sherds of E-ware were recovered from the upper fills of this ditch, along with fragments of bone combs, bone points/needles, knife blades, shell and animal bone.

A large irregular-shaped pit, c. 3.5m east–west by 2m by 1.2m deep, was excavated along the north-eastern area of the southern half of the site. It was filled with soils identical in colour and nature to that infilling the second enclosure and would suggest that contemporary activity was occurring beyond the limits of an enclosure. Iron slag, burnt clay (possibly daub), burnt bone and worked wood were recovered from the pit. It was surrounded by several shallow rectangular pits, which had burnt clay sides and charcoal-rich fills. These have been identified as hearth pits and were probably associated with the large pit, the fill of which suggests domestic and industrial waste.

Around 80 burials were excavated from stone-lined graves, some of which lay in the upper fills of the two inner enclosing ditches. Most of the burials lay within an area measuring 5m north–south by 10m, suggesting that they were enclosed, possibly within a church, although there was no surviving evidence for such a building. In general the remaining burials lay to the south and east of the main group, although one was found some distance away to the west. Pottery recovered from the grave-fills has been identified as E-ware, AD 600–750.

The third enclosing ditch measures 42m east–west by 48m+, again running into the northern edge of the green space and beyond the limit of excavation. It cuts the two earlier ditches along their northern limits and increases significantly in dimensions along its western edge to 4m wide by 2.2m deep.

Phase 3, Early Christian, c. 8th–10th centuries
Evidence for an unenclosed Early Christian settlement site includes at least six circular slots, a double-chambered souterrain, an extensive cobbled pathway and field boundaries. The slots are located along the brow of the ridge and along the eastern slope and vary in diameter from 4.5m to 10m. Several have an entranceway along their eastern edge, though this is not always the rule. The slots are likely to have served as run-off gullies, each surrounding a wattle and daub house, the remains of which did not survive the deep cross-ploughing practised across the site.

A double-chambered souterrain has been excavated along the northern limit of the site, cutting through the second and third enclosures. The souterrain consists of well-crafted drystone passages with two chambers, one to the north and the other to the east. The chambers are also of drystone construction and the curvature of the walls would suggest that the roof was corbelled.

An extensive cobbled pathway has been uncovered running east–west to the north of the souterrain. This pathway can be traced for over 30m and leads to two of the circular run-off gullies.

One ditch can be traced running north–south for over 140m, along the western limit of the excavation. The ditch measures up to 1.5m in width and 1.2m in depth, though there was no surviving evidence for an associated bank. In general it is V-shaped in profile, though it can be more rounded, and filled with a compact orange boulder clay with the occasional crushed shell and fragmented animal bone throughout. This ditch runs beyond the limit of excavation to the north and has been interpreted as being a field boundary of considerable antiquity.

Phase 4, early medieval, 10th–12th centuries
The early medieval period saw the construction of a series of subrectangular enclosures within the southern half of the site. Here, the earliest enclosure measures 24.6m in diameter (internally), although in plan it appears more subsquare than circular. In general the ditch was 2.3m wide by 0.9m deep and was U-shaped in section. As with most of the ditches along the southern half of the site, its depth increased as it ran down the slope; this may have been due to the variation in subsoil and in particular to the depth at which loose coarse sands were reached.

An entranceway has been identified along the south-west of the ditch and measured c. 2m in width. Along the western and south-western limits the ditch was filled with compact, stony clay, while along the north and east it was filled with grey/orange silty clay. This variation appears to follow the natural variation of the subsoil and would suggest that a bank associated with the construction of the ditch had been deliberately pushed back into the enclosing ditch, perhaps to accommodate the larger second enclosure.

A second enclosure as excavated measures 50m east–west by 30m and continues into the southern edge of the green space. The ditch measures 1.46m by 0.87m and is V-shaped in section. Again the fills vary around the ditch, suggesting redeposited bank material.

A third enclosure entirely dominates the excavations along the southern half of the site, although the northern line of its ditch remains within the green space. It measures 80m east–west by 60m (internal dimensions) and its ditch is up to 2m deep and 3.5m wide. It is assumed that such a ditch would have been defensive and would have had an internal bank, although no direct evidence for one has survived. It has been noted, however, that there is a paucity of archaeology along a 10m-wide band inside the ditch, presumably the result of a large bank having been there.

The fills vary along the length of the ditch, but deposits would suggest that it had remained open for some time, and had silted up gradually. A stave of a small bucket made out of yew was recovered from the basal fill.

A terminal has been identified along the south-western edge but its partner, the eastern terminal, had been removed by an extensive recut, which can be traced along the length of the ditch. This recut suggests the deliberate re-establishment of the line of this, the largest enclosure, and, together with the preceding enclosures, illustrates the longevity of a defended settlement on the site.

Finds from this ditch include a bone peg, animal bone, shell, some undiagnostic hand-built pottery, a few glass beads, a fragment of a jet bracelet, and two very poorly preserved ring-pins, possibly relating to 10th–12th-century deposits.

To the south-east of the site, a north–south-oriented ditch cut through the second enclosure but was in turn cut by the third, large enclosure. A beautifully decorated ring-pin was recovered from the upper fill of this ditch and has been dated to the late 10th/early 11th century, as it is comparable to ring-pins from Viking deposits in Dublin excavations. This would suggest that this period of constructing defensive enclosures dates from in and around the 9th–12th centuries.

It is suggested that the construction of a rectangular enclosure is not indigenous but may have been the result of outside influences: the Vikings or the later Anglo-Normans. Presumably these enclosures contained houses and industrial and craft areas, but little survives in the area under investigation.

Phase 5, medieval, post-12th century
A fourth circular enclosure encloses all three enclosing ditches, the double-chambered souterrain, house slots and cobbled pathway along the northern area of the site. This enclosure measures 70m in internal diameter and runs both north and south beyond the limits of the current excavation. The ditch is massive, almost 6m wide and up to 2.5m deep, and a recut has been identified along its western edge. Such a ditch, together with its associated bank, would most certainly have been an impressive earthwork and defensive in nature. No terminals have been identified within the limits of the excavation.

This fourth circular enclosure and the third subrectangular enclosure both ran into the green space along the western edge in close proximity to one another. Dúchas gave permission to topsoil-strip a small area of the green space to try to identify their relationship. On plan it would appear that the subrectangular ditch is cut by the recut within the circular ditch, but radiocarbon dates may show that the subrectangular enclosure pre-dates the original circular enclosure.

Phase 6, later medieval
The later medieval activity includes pits, curvilinear slots, gullies, two kilns and a small souterrain and is located along the north-western area of the site. The souterrain and some of the pits cut through the upper fills of the fourth circular enclosure, while one of the kilns was constructed within the upper fill of the third subrectangular enclosure.

The two kilns were of identical construction — drystone walling with a circular chamber leading off from a short flue. Charred wheat was recovered from one kiln, while glass slag was recovered from the other. The second souterrain is much smaller than that described above, though it is also constructed from drystone corbelling. A short passage widens along its western edge to form a small chamber, while another short passage leading off to the north ends in a semicircular chamber.

Many of the pits are similar in size and nature, which would suggest that they are contemporary, but they do not form a structure. Several very large pits have evidence of a lime/ash basal fill which would suggest their use as tanning-pits.

Conclusion
Excavations are expected to finish soon but already it is clear that, in general, the archaeology in the northern half of the site dates from much earlier than that in the southern half. It is thought that the northern half of the site was the focus for the original settlement — possibly a tuath, the limits of which were re-established over time. During the 9th–12th centuries, the emphasis shifted to the southern area of the site, probably the result of an invading group of people — possibly the Vikings.

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