County: Westmeath Site name: TOGHERSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0545 ext.
Author: Rosanne Meenan, for ADS Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 630244m, N 749923m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.498442, -7.544163
The development at this site comprises riding stables, dwelling-house, associated buildings, access road and gallops etc. associated with use as a stables and training centre for horses. Testing was carried out by Ruth Elliott at the locations of the dwelling-house and the stables in June 2001 (see No. 1293, Excavations 2001). Nothing of archaeological significance was exposed in the five test-trenches. In August 2001 Dúchas requested that further investigation be carried out. The same licence number was used for the further testing.
The site is on the north-eastern slopes of the Hill of Uisneach. The monuments closest to the development site are inside the area of the archaeological complex SMR 24:177 on the Hill and some metres away from the limits of the development. Boleyvillish Castle (SMR 24:31) is just outside the eastern boundary of the development. This comprises the remains of a tower-house or hall-house and stands within a rectangular earthwork with subdivisions within the rectangle. The land surrounding the castle is poorly drained.
Eleven trenches tested the locations of the galloping ring, access road and gallops. The remains of field fences were exposed in two trenches; these corresponded with field fences that were marked on the first edition OS six-inch map but which have since disappeared. One feature was exposed in the trench placed closest to Boleyvillish Castle. This was a shallow gully, surviving to a depth of 0.15m. It ran for a length of 6m in the middle of the trench before running into the north baulk, but its eastern end petered out. The fill comprised black gritty clay with occasional flecks of charcoal and rootlets. Some fragments of animal bone were recovered but there were no other finds to assist with dating. At the point where the gully ran into the north baulk, it had become shallower and narrower.
There was no evidence to associate this feature with Boleyvillish Castle and its function was not clear. The portion that was exposed was not substantial enough to suggest that it was a defensive feature.
Measures were proposed in the assessment to mitigate the impact of the development on the gully feature. A visual impact statement accompanied the site assessment.
Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath
