County: Meath Site name: BELLINTER
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E1462
Author: Red Tobin, RedArc Ltd, Archaeological Services, 35 Brook Meadow, Avoca, Co. Wicklow.
Site type: Burnt mounds
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 689223m, N 761559m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.596290, -6.652110
The Bellinter group of burnt mounds was identified during monitored topsoil-stripping as part of the Dunshaughlin-Castletown Tara trunk sewer project (No. 1236 below, 04E1499). In all, four sites were identified, three of which were excavated between 26 October and 18 December 2004. The remaining burnt mound (288771 260765) was preserved in situ, as it lay outside the impact zone of the pipe trench.
Bellinter 1 (288993 261148)
This burnt mound lies c. 3m from the bank of the River Skane. It is subcircular in plan, comprising the waste firing material of the various periods of use. The mound was 3.6m in length, 2.8m in width and 0.1m in depth. It produced some fragments of animal bone.
A badly preserved trough was excavated. It was 1.4m in length, 0.79m in width and 0.25m in depth. Its long axis is aligned north to south. Some evidence of a wooden lining was recorded in the form of a shallow layer of partially burned wood and charcoal in a sandy matrix.
The site displays evidence of gradual destruction by water action and tree roots.
Bellinter 2 (288950 261129)
This site lies to the south-west of the River Skane. The burnt mound is irregular in plan, being 4.48m in length and 2.5m in width, and is aligned from northwest to south-east. 'Mound', in this case, is a misnomer, as the firing material could best be described as a spread varying in depth from 0.02m to 0.05m. This spread can best be explained by agricultural activity over the location of the site.
Removal of the burnt spread revealed a rectilinear trough, orientated with the spread of firing material from north-west to south-east. The trough measured 1.4m in length and 0.4m in width, reaching a maximum depth of 0.37m. The base of the trough was lined with four poorly preserved wooden planks. The trough had been disturbed by tree roots.
Bellinter 3 (288722 260784)
This burnt mound lies to the south-east of the River Skane and is the most substantial of the sites, being subcircular in plan and measuring 10.3m in length and 7m in width. The mound reached a maximum depth of 0.2m and consisted of heat-shattered stone and burnt soil.
Excavation and subsequent removal of the mound determined that this burnt mound operated two troughs during its working life. Trough 1 lay on the southern edge of the mound with a north-west/southeast orientation. The trough was rectangular in plan, being 1.91m in length, 1.17m in width and 0.45m in depth. The base of the trough was lined with four poorly preserved wooden planks. It is thought that this trough represents the later use period of this site.
Trough 2 was partially excavated, as it lay on the edge of the development wayleave adjacent to the River Skane. As its full extent could not be determined, its long axis remains unknown. The trough was of considerable size, cut into the natural clays flanking the river; 1.4m of the trough was excavated projecting at right angles to the edge of the wayleave. At this point the trough was 1.9m in width and over 0.9m in depth. There was no evidence identified for a wooden lining. Initial post-excavation results would suggest that this trough is associated with the primary use of this site. The remainder of the trough and its flanking segments of burnt mound remain in situ beyond the limits of the development.
