2003:2361 - LISANISK (2), Monaghan

A 2ha (stripped area) excavation, funded by Monaghan County Council and the National Roads Authority, took place in the townland of Lisanisk c. 1km to the south-east of Carrickmacross in advance of the construction of the 8.137km N2 Carrickmacross– Aclint Road Realignment. A previously unknown site had been discovered during a testing programme undertaken in March–April 2003 (No. 1482, Excavations 2003, 03E0388). Resolution excavations were completed by September 2003.

The stripped area of the ringfort revealed that there were two ditches on the site: the external one was over 60m in diameter and the internal one was almost 40m. Both ditches are slightly egg-shaped in plan. The ditches are not equidistant from one another, being only 3m apart in the south-west area and over 12m apart in the north-east. There was no stratigraphic evidence to suggest that the construction of the ditches was not contemporary. A number of internal features, pits, post-holes and two possible structures, were also evident.

Outer ditch
The excavation revealed the outer ditch to have an average diameter of c. 60m, which roughly equates to 200 linear metres of ditch. The ditch was broadly Ushaped. The north end was the point where it was at its narrowest and shallowest, 1.5m wide by 0.9m deep. This compared to parts of the east and south sides that are up to 3.3m wide at the top and 1.4m deep. The fills were generally uniform, consisting of redeposited clays at the bottom with a looser soil-like material at the top. It is possible that the lower and middle fills represent bank material that has slumped back into the ditch over time. These deposits were almost completely sterile, with the exception of an occasional fragment of animal bone. The upper fill was likely to be associated with the deliberate filling of the ditch, which happened at some point before the surveying of the first-edition OS map in 1835, where the ringfort is not recorded and the present field system is clearly evident. The west side of the ditch has been scarped during the creation of the present field system and most of the upper and middle fills have not survived here. A coin dated to 1692 was found in the upper fill, indicating that the ditch remained open until at least this time.

The remains of an articulated skeleton were identified in the upper levels of the outer ditch on the east side of the site. The Garda and the NMI were informed. The remains were badly disturbed and consisted of the legs, some ribs and lower vertebrae, the skull (in poor preservation) and part of the right humerus. It is felt that the remains were probably not buried in a cut but were merely thrown into the upper level of the ditch and that this would explain the poor state of preservation. They were then sealed by the final backfilling/upper layers of the ditch (containing the 1692 coin). Historical references point to an attack on Lisanisk crannog in 1647 and further unrest in the area in the 1690s, and it is possible that the remains date to this period.

Inner ditch
The inner ditch was, on average, 40m in diameter, which roughly equates to 100m of linear ditch. It was more regular in shape and depth than the outer ditch, 1.5m wide at the top and 1.1m deep, and it is broadly V-shaped. Like the outer ditch, it had been filled largely with redeposited clays, with a looser, soil-like deposit on top, and again the fills were generally sterile. There were two areas of the inner ditch that showed distinctly different fills, even prior to excavation. On the east and west sides there were areas that clearly represented burnt material. The east side was resolved and represented a shallow hollow in the upper fills of the ditch that had waste material dumped in it. This consisted of occasional sherds of pottery and lumps of slag and charcoal. It is likely that this material is associated with two specific areas of industrial activity in the south-west and west of the ditch.

Industrial Area 1
The excavation of the west side of the inner ditch revealed a substantial cut through the ditch in this area to widen and deepen it. This cut through the upper layers that had filled the ditch by the time of the activity but did not extend into the lowest/primary fills. A probable smithing hearth was identified at the base of the cut with a number of associated stake-holes (possible canopy?), and spreads of charcoal and burning. The hearth appeared originally to have been too large and so was relined to make it smaller, possibly after only one use. It appears that the metalworking activity moved to the south-west corner of the ditch after a time (Industrial Area 2). Excavation of the material filling the recut revealed two main dumps of waste material consisting of blackened soil with significant amounts of slag, along with a substantial portion of an impressive tuyère and fragments that were probably from others. The initial dump of waste material appears to represent the dumping of waste that had built up from the activity at Industrial Area 1, with the secondary dump material being associated with subsequent activity at Industrial Area 2.

There have been no definitive dates obtained from this material yet, but it is felt that it may be related to the historical references to unrest in the 1640s. When scanned, the large amount of slag and hammerscale sampled from the area may indicate the making of weapons for the uprising. Its location at the upper level of the ditch, which was backfilled sometime after 1692, suggests that the date for the activity could correspond with historical references.

Industrial Area 2
This second area was 16m to the south-east of Industrial Area 1 and probably represented an immediate continuation of a similar activity. It was initially identified as an area of rough kerbing, with organic material with high charcoal content abutting it to the south. To the north of the kerbing, another possible smithing hearth was uncovered, along with an associated working platform. It is possible that part of the kerbing supported the bellows for the hearth. The working platform and some elements of the kerbing and the hearth itself were in a shallow cut through the upper deposits of the ditch at that time, but this cut was not as prominent as in Industrial Area 1. The entire area contained a large amount of charcoal and waste metal and slag fragments. It is felt, however, that most of the waste material was dumped in Industrial Area 1.

Again it is felt that this activity probably dates to the mid- to late 1600s, but no definitive dates have yet been obtained from this material.

Pits and post-holes
A number of internal features—pits, post-holes and two possible structures—were also identified on the site. These features were evident between the two ditches as well as within the inner ditch enclosure. There are no specific dates or functions for any of this material. A small cluster of seven stake-holes in the centre of the site may represent the location of a small hut. A second possible small hut with an associated hearth may be located in the north-east of the inner enclosure, but there was no evidence of large-scale permanent structures or houses. A large pit between the two ditches in the north-west of the site may have been used for storage, possibly as a cistern, or a foundation for a very large post or beacon, or it may just have acted as a test-pit prior to construction of the two ditches.

Outside the enclosure
To the north-east of the ringfort, a probable field boundary/drain extended from the outer ditch. It is not felt that this feature was contemporary with the original cutting of the ditch, but it was clearly inserted before the ringfort was razed and is possibly pre-1700 in date. A number of isolated features—pits, gullies and post-holes—identified in the area to the south of the ringfort are of unknown date and are thought to be associated with land clearance. This clearance activity could date from the prehistoric to the post-medieval period. It may be more easily associated with the most recent period of land clearance, which led to the present field system.

The site was abandoned during or at the end of the early medieval period. The next identifiable phase appears to have been landscaping, perhaps in the 17th–18th century and probably associated with the estate lands of the Shirley family or Monalty House. This landscaping, which resulted in the total disappearance of the main enclosure earthworks prior to 1835, caused truncation of the west side of the site. The two ditches appear to comprise dumped loose soil which may have resulted from the deliberate levelling of the remaining bank sod material.

The most obvious post-medieval activity was the creation of the present field system and little has changed in the immediate landscape since this was carried out.

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