County: Meath Site name: FLEENSTOWN LITTLE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E1355 ext.
Author: Cara Murray, Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit (IAWU), for Cultural Resource Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 706597m, N 749770m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.487149, -6.393768
This excavation was undertaken as part of the archaeological mitigation in advance of the N2 Finglas–Ashbourne road scheme (Appendix II). Pre-development testing was carried out under this licence by David Bonner in 2003. This identified a small prehistoric pit, a small burnt spread and a further deposit of archaeologically dubious charred material, in three discrete areas at Site 14 (previously designated Testing Area 14) located within the south Ashbourne interchange of the development. The licence was transferred to Cara Murray in February 2004. A two-week excavation commenced in April and revealed a prehistoric pit and adjacent area of burning, a small burnt spread and a further area of burning that may not have been archaeologically significant.
This section of the development is located west of the existing N2, north of a private access lane to Fleenstown House, in two large fields that were in agricultural production prior to the development works. The landscape in which Site 14 (OD 62.62–64.89m) is located is gently undulating, associated with the tributaries of the Broadmeadow River. Within this section archaeological deposits were found in three discrete areas, designated Areas A–C. Area A is located in the north-eastern portion of the larger south-eastern field and Areas B and C are located close to the western and along the northern edge of the second field. This area has clearly been affected by land improvement works, particularly associated with drainage and the canalisation of the nearby streams.
A small prehistoric pit and adjacent area of burning c. 2m to the north-west were centrally located within Area A, 9.95m (north-east/south-west) by 11.3m. The pit, measuring 0.74 (north-east/southwest) by 0.86m and 0.35m deep, was subcircular in form with vertical/slightly concave sides and a concave but uneven base. It was filled by mottled grey/orange clay that contained frequent charcoal flecking and fragments of bone, some burnt. Recovered from this material were thirteen pieces of flint debitage, one of which was heat-affected, and a possible portion of a scraper, indicating a Neolithic date. Further flint flakes and a possible broken thumbnail scraper had been recovered from the pit during testing. The adjacent area of burnt material, 0.55 by 0.75m, was only 0.01m deep.
In Area C, 11.02m (north-east/south-west) by 8.46m, c. 360m to the north-west, a small oval-shaped spread was uncovered comprised of dark-grey coarse-grained sandy clay containing moderate amounts of sand and stones, frequent burnt stone, pebbles and occasional charcoal. This spread measured 2.2m (east-west) by 2.5m and was up to 0.13m deep. There was no associated feature uncovered in the vicinity of this burnt spread.
In Area B, 10.2m (east-west) by 12.33m, an archaeologically dubious charred area was uncovered.
Unit 8, Ashcourt, Ashbourne Industrial Estate, Ashbourne, Co. Meath
