2004:1242 - GARRETSTOWN, Meath

Testing was carried out in advance of the planned M3 Clonee–North of Kells PPP scheme, Co. Meath, on the Dunshaughlin–Navan section (Contract 2) between March and May 2004. This section of the scheme is c. 15.5km long from the townland of Roestown, northwest of Dunshaughlin, to the townland of Ardsallagh, south-west of Navan town. The EIS recommended testing 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 26 testing areas. The assessment methodology generally consisted of mechanically excavating 2m-wide 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 2 was located in the townland of Garretstown between Chainage 22450 and 21320. Between 15 and 25 April 2004, 82 test-trenches, totalling 5030 linear metres, were excavated. This represents just under 14% of the land available for construction (11,066m2 of 79,718m2). Three sites of archaeological significance were identified: Garretstown 1, Garretstown 2a and Garretstown 2b.

The features uncovered at Garretstown 1 comprised a hearth, a post-hole and two possible pit cremations. The sub-rounded hearth base measured 0.9m east-west by 0.8m by 70mm deep, with oxidised clay fill with flecks of charcoal and fragments of burnt bone. The post-hole was subcircular in shape and measured 0.6m north-south by 0.56m by 0.11m deep. The first of the two possible pit cremations measured was subcircular in shape and measured 0.27m east-west by 0.25m by 40mm deep, while the second was subcircular in shape and measured 0.22m east-west by 0.15m by 0.1m deep. The silty clay fills of these features contained moderate flecks of charcoal and fragments of burnt bone. The bone has not been positively identified as either human or animal. The identification of these features as cremations is therefore tentative.

At Garretstown 2a features identified included a smelting hearth, a possible charcoal-manufacturing kiln and a group of ditches, possibly the remains of a moated site and associated field system. The smithing hearth was subrectangular in plan with rounded corners and measured 0.65m east-north-east to west-south-west by 0.54m north-south by 0.13m deep. It was filled by a loose dark-blackish-brown clayey silt with moderate iron slag, moderate charcoal flecks, occasional sub-angular stones up to 80mm in length and occasional lenses of red oxidised clay. Preliminary analysis of the slag indicates that it is smithing slag. The possible charcoal-manufacturing kiln comprised a subcircular spread of loose greyish-black clayey silt with moderate flecks of charcoal. The visible extent of this spread was 0.94m north-south by 0.9m.

The geophysical survey undertaken as part of the EIS identified a substantial, virtually square, enclosure (dims. c. 60m by 60m) with a smaller subcircular enclosure containing several internal divisions. There is an extensive attached field system to the north; part of this is formed by an enclosure that appears to show traces of a hearth, with a subtriangular field and a subcircular internal enclosure to the north-east. The site appears to be a settlement site and the shape of the enclosure and size of the ditch suggest that it may be an Anglo-Norman moated site. The readings also suggest that the complex extends further south from the scanned area.

The road has been removed to avoid the moat, but the land-take runs along the eastern edge of the enclosure, where it was possible to partially examine it during testing. The visible section of the moat measured 37.5m long by 1.6m wide by 1.1m deep. It had been cut into bedrock and the break of slope at the top of this feature was sharp and the sides were regular and sloped steeply. The fill was a soft brown silty clay with moderate sub-angular stones, very occasional charcoal flecking, which increased in frequency towards the bottom, and occasional animal bone and teeth. One unstratified sherd of green-glazed medieval pottery was also recovered from the vicinity of this feature. To the east of this feature a number of ditches and gullies were also identified.

Along with those identified at Garretstown 2a, the ditches at Garretstown 2b probably formed part of the same field system. Orientated north-east/south-west and east-north-east/west-south-west, these broad shallow ditches were up to 5m in width and were filled with sterile silty clays. In addition to the ditches, two possible pit cremations and four isolated post-holes were also revealed.

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