County: Meath Site name: BONESTOWN (BGE 1a/18/3)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0694
Author: Redmond Tobin, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Burnt spread
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 697262m, N 753610m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.523446, -6.533186
This site was exposed during topsoil-stripping at Bonestown, Dunshaughlin, 56.5m west of a field fence on a west-facing slope. The site lay immediately west of the hill crest, and therefore the slope is not very steep. Land use adjacent to the pipeline spread is arable. Views to the north are good; those to the west are limited; and the natural slope obscures views to the east.
The site consisted of two substantial spreads of charcoal-rich soil, dark brown and heavily flecked with charcoal. The larger spread (F1) marked the western extent of these features and lay west-north-west of the smaller spread. It was subcircular to ovate in plan and measured 1.42m by 0.9m. It had a shallow, concave profile, with sloping sides descending to a shallow, concave base, and contained two distinct fills, F2 and F3.
F3 lined the cut of F1. It was dark brown, silty clay with charcoal flecks and a very low density of heat-shattered stones. Sealing this was F2, a black silty clay. The material was very loose and dry, with a high frequency of charcoal flecks and occasional heat-shattered stone fragments. For the main part, F2 appeared to be humic soil.
The second spread, to the south-east, was irregular in plan, 1m long and 0.6m wide. The fill appeared to be similar to that of F1. This feature was only recorded during monitoring; at the time of excavation any surface remains of this feature had been obscured or destroyed.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
