2001:1055 - SHEEPHOUSE: Site 2, Meath

An excavation was carried out in the townland of Sheephouse between February and May 2001. The site was 1km west of Drogheda on the Rathmullan road and overlooked the Boyne to the north. The subsoils consist of a rusty-coloured till with dark black stones. South-west of the site, the flat-topped Redmountain Hill and the rounded ridge at Donore protrude above the gently undulating valley.

Site 2 was on a gentle north-facing slope overlooking the alluvium gravels of the Boyne flood-plain. The surrounding area is underlain by glacial till with deep topsoil, which supports rich pasture. The farmlands immediately surrounding the site support crops of wheat. To the south the land gently undulates, rising to the west and south-west.

The earliest activity took place in the eastern part of the site. The features comprise a curvilinear line of post-holes and the remains of a slot-trench to the north. Approximately twenty sherds of Neolithic pottery were recovered from within the fills of the post-holes.

To the west of the line of post-holes an oval enclosure, approximately 13m north–south by 9.5m, was observed. It was truncated to the south by a later linear ditch feature, making it impossible to define its southern limit. It had a narrow east-facing entrance. A Neolithic leaf-shaped arrowhead was recovered from within the fill, the only diagnostic evidence from it. The fill was, however, charcoal-rich, and therefore further supporting dating evidence is awaited.

To the east a series of north–south and east–west ditches may represent early laying out of stock-pens or animal enclosures. No evidence of the use of these enclosures for arable purposes presented itself. A second Neolithic leaf-shaped arrowhead with a broken tip was recovered from one of these features.

To the west a second phase of activity was evident. A 3.6m-diameter circular ditch feature was excavated. A larger enclosure was excavated at the west of the site which measured 38m in maximum width north–south and continued on in section to the east. A blue bead, an amber bead and many animal bone fragments were uncovered. The enclosure is possibly contemporary with the east–west linear ditch at the southern end of the site, from which an iron knife was recovered, giving rise to the probability that the enclosure is Iron Age or early historic in date. There was a palisaded entrance in the north-east of the enclosure, the post-holes curving gradually south-west to a cobbled entrance with two external drainage ditches feeding into the main enclosing ditch.

The ditch demonstrated an unusual profile. At its east-facing side it had a central slot, perhaps indicating a large stockaded timber fence. However, the southern side was U-shaped and deeper, with steep sides. At the north there was a steep north-facing slope and a gradual south-facing slope. No evidence of a bank was observed. Internally a second, shallower slot-trench was excavated. This may represent a small delimiting ditch or drainage feature.

Throughout the site there was evidence of hearths and pits, isolated post-holes and post-holes forming linear and curvilinear features.

A number of kilns were excavated. One of these was within the oval enclosing feature at the centre of the site although it may be much later. It had a hearth at its northern end and sloped to the south, where it opened up into a large bowl shape. The possible flue and bowl were stone-lined, with tentative evidence for a lintelled roof along the flue. The bowl measured 3m north–south by 2m.

To the south-east an unusual L-shaped or dog-legged downward-sloping, stone-lined feature was excavated. The two legs led to a circular stone-lined lintelled bowl. It may represent two phases of kiln construction.

At the terminus of the linear ditch, another rough stone-lined downward-sloping area of burning was revealed. Three large post-holes at the top of the ditch may indicate that the feature was roofed. It is possible that this feature represents a secondary use of the ditch as a roughly built crop-drying kiln.

200 Dún na Coiribe, Galway