2002:1484 - KNOWTH (Site M), Meath

The site is in a natural marshy basin drained by a stream running eastward into the River Mattock and is immediately north-east of and downslope from the passage-tomb cemetery at Knowth, Co. Meath. The central focus of the site is a large enclosure first shown on the first-edition OS map (1836) as a ‘fort’, in an extensive area of marsh. The large enclosure comprised a roughly circular area (80m in internal diameter) surrounded by two banks and a ditch. The interior had an uneven surface and was raised in the centre. Stones protruded from the sod, north and south of the centre. The remains of a slight, silted ditch (67m in internal diameter and 2.3m wide) were found, eccentrically positioned in the enclosure. There were a number of gaps in the banks, the largest in the south-south-east (11m wide). In the field west of the large enclosure was a ring-ditch (10m in diameter), which was overlain by a rectangular enclosure and was associated with a pair of curvilinear banks and ditches.
The series of low earthworks and the large enclosure were discovered through aerial reconnaissance. The first aerial photograph of the complex was published by Ó Ríordáin and Daniel (1964, 86, pl. 53, site M), who interpreted it as a possible henge monument. In the late 1960s and early 1970s St Joseph of the Cambridge Committee for Aerial Photography took a series of oblique aerial photographs of the site (AHJ 68, APG 71–2, AJO 99–100). Wainwright (1969, 131) later included this site in a review of henge monuments, quoting the St Joseph photograph as his source. The complex was further highlighted by O’Kelly (1967, 61), who presented an alternative interpretation, drawing comparisons with the remains of a medieval village at Hurcle near Mellifont, Co. Louth. O’Kelly concluded that the complex at Knowth may represent the site of a medieval village. Subsequently, Moore (1987, 103, 123, 126) described the complex as a large enclosure with a contemporaneous field system overlying an earlier enclosure.

In July 2002 a cutting, 2m by 40m, was excavated through the western section of the large enclosure to determine the original form, sequence and construction dates for the enclosing elements. This cutting revealed three separate ditches with the spread remains of four associated banks. The inner enclosing ditch (Ditch 3) cut through earlier activity on the site, which comprised a linear trench (F14) running south-east/north-west that was c. 1.8m wide, c. 7m long and 0.9m deep. Charcoal samples taken from this trench have been sent for 14C dating. It is thought to be of Neolithic date on the basis of material found in its vicinity. The outer ditch was c. 6m wide and relatively shallow with a rounded bottom. It had a stepped external profile and was cut into natural gravel to a depth of c. 1.3m. A mole drain was inserted across the ditch and was probably part of drainage works that took place on the site in the 1960s. The second ditch (Ditch 2) was c. 3.7m wide and 1.1m deep and had a similar profile to Ditch 1. A metal disc was found in the upper fill. The inner ditch (Ditch 3) was 2.45m wide and c. 0.9m deep. The fill was uniform in all ditches, comprising initial silting, habitation debris and spread bank material.

A second cutting, measuring 5m by 10m, was placed across the northern part of the site, encompassing a large stone that stood in the interior. The cutting was positioned here to expose a ditch that is visible on a recent aerial photograph and to determine the date and purpose of the stone. Excavation showed that the stone stood on a layer of topsoil with a scatter of field stones. A sherd of 17th-century Rhinish stoneware was found among the field stones, suggesting that the stone was probably moved to this location at that time. A highly decorated Anglo-Saxon gilt-bronze mount was found in the topsoil of this cutting. Five irregularly shaped pits and a linear trench were uncovered at the southern end of the cutting. They produced flint flakes, bone fragments and quartz fragments in a uniform fill of grey/brown, charcoal-flecked soil. The section of ditch had a V-shaped profile, c. 1.9m wide and c. 0.85m deep, and was a continuation of Ditch 3, exposed in the first cutting.

The finds comprised a lithic assemblage including flint cores, scrapers, a blade and an arrowhead fragment. Part of a lignite bracelet was found in an unstratified context. Two glass beads were found on the site, a blue glass bead in the upper ditch fill and one in an unstratified context. Only five sherds of pottery were found during the excavation: two sherds of fine handmade ware of possible Late Neolithic date, two sherds of 17th-century Rhinish stoneware and one modern potsherd. The Anglo-Saxon gilt-bronze mount fragment was discovered in an unstratified context in topsoil. It is made from thin, impressed foil, decorated with interlaced snakes. There is a setting for a stud. This piece can be compared with a bronze strap mount from Loughpatrick, Killintown, Co. Westmeath, and another mount from the Lagore excavations. A date in the late 7th century is suggested for this piece. Parallels outside Ireland include a mount from Barnham near Ipswich, Suffolk (R. Ó Floinn, pers. comm.). A circular metal disc was found in the upper ditch fill. This was heavily encrusted and is undergoing conservation in the National Museum.

The size of the assemblage allowed for a complete examination of all bone by Joanne Hughes. Six mammal species were represented. Stock species (cattle, sheep and pig) comprised over 82% of the assemblage, which was dominated by cattle. A single bone/fragment of hare, dog and horse was present. The inner ditch (Ditch 3) contained the vast majority of the recorded bone, which probably resulted from discarded food debris. Horn-core and skull fragments indicated that primary butchery took place nearby. Further evidence of butchery included marks indicative of filleting, chopmarks and dismembering marks. The evidence suggests that c. 70% of the cattle population was killed off before the age of 2.5 years. It is tentatively suggested that choice meat was consumed and possibly that breeding animals were kept for longer to maintain herd numbers, for traction and as providers of milk. The sample was too small to allow distinctions between Early Christian and Neolithic bones or to facilitate comparisons with other data sets.

The first season of this research excavation funded by the Royal Irish Academy identified two main phases of activity. The first phase is of probable Neolithic date and is associated with a linear trench and a cluster of pits. The second phase is associated with a trivallate enclosure of probable early medieval date, which has produced habitation debris and an impressive array of personal items, including glass beads, a lignite bracelet and part of an Anglo-Saxon gilt-bronze strap mount.

References
Moore, M.J. 1987 Archaeological inventory of County Meath. Dublin.
O’Kelly, C. 1967 An illustrated guide to Newgrange and the other Boyne monuments. Cork.
Ó Ríordáin, S.P. and Daniel, G. 1964 Newgrange and the Bend of the Boyne. London.
Wainwright, G. 1969 A review of henge monuments in the light of recent research. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 35, 112–33.

Dún Scéine, Harcourt Lane, Dublin 2