County: Meath Site name: ATHGAINE LITTLE AND NUGENTSTOWN (Testing Area 7)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E0920
Author: Shane Delaney, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Burnt spread
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 676694m, N 772891m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.700082, -6.838541
An assessment was carried out in advance of the planned M3 Clonee-North of Kells PPP scheme, Co. Meath, on the Navan–Kells and N52 Kells bypass (Contract 4) between July and October 2004. This section of the scheme is c. 11km long from the townland of Ardbraccan, north of Navan, to the townland of Cakestown Glebe, north of Kells. The EIS recommended testing of any known or possible sites identified and Meath County Council further proposed to test the whole of the remainder of the route. For the purposes of testing, this section was divided into fourteen testing areas. The assessment methodology generally consisted of mechanically excavating 2mwide test-trenches along the centre-line and perpendicular to the centre-line to the edge of the land-take every 20m. The work was carried out on behalf of Meath County Council, the National Roads Design Office and the National Roads Authority.
Testing Area 7 is located in the townlands of Athgaine Little and Nugentstown, between Chainages 66000 and 66850; 5704m2 of the total 51,498m2 within this area was test-trenched, providing a testing coverage of 11.07%.
Two areas of archaeological significance were uncovered in Test Area 7, designated Nugenstown 2 and 3. Nugentstown 2 consisted of a burnt spread measuring c. 7m by 5m by 0.1m. The open trenches revealed a small and disturbed spread of heat-shattered stone with some charcoal and iron panning. No finds were made to suggest a date or function. It may represent activity associated with the exploitation of the hardpan material, possibly a smelting area.
Nugentstown 3 was comprised of an ash-rich spread with very few heat-shattered stones. The exposed portion of the spread was generally amorphous but it appeared to be curving slightly to the south (possibly horseshoe-shaped) and sealed an area of burning to the north-east. The spread was a grey silty ash material with frequent charcoal flecks and was generally no more than 0.1m in depth. The exposed portion of the spread measured c. 5.5m by 3.5m. A darker oval area to the east was sectioned and turned out to be a pit (possibly a trough) measuring c. 1m by 1m by 0.55m depth. The section profile was U-shaped.
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