County: Westmeath Site name: STONEHOUSEFARM (2.1 and 2.2)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A001/011
Author: Conor McDermott, Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit (IAWU), for Cultural Resource Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Field system
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 634292m, N 734022m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.355297, -7.484893
The features were identified during centre-line testing on the N6 Kinnegad–Kilbeggan dual carriageway (04E0579, No. 1246, Excavations 2004) as two converging linear ditches/boundaries of unknown date. These were numbered Stonehousefarm 2.1, located 14m north of the centre-line at Chainage 29925, and Stonehousefarm 2.2, located 15m north of the centre-line at Chainage 29925. They were situated on a low-lying terrace between the base of a steep glacial ridge and a basin of fen peat.
An area of 861m2 was mechanically stripped around the ditches to expose the extent of the site. The stripping revealed three linear ditches, two shallow linear cuts, cobbling, a number of modern drains and a modern drainage pipe. A series of sections were excavated across the ditches and this confirmed an 18th/19th-century AD or later date and the excavation was discontinued.
Ditch 1, the southernmost of the ditches identified during centre-line testing (Stonehousefarm 2.1), was orientated west-north-west/east-south-east for a length of 33.5m but continued beyond the extent of the cutting in both directions. It had an irregular V-shaped cut with a maximum upper width of 2.24m and was up to 1.1m deep with a narrow rounded base prone to flooding. The lower fill consisted of medium to large stones up to 0.4m deep with red/orange staining from water percolation. The upper fills contained large amounts of stones and pebbles, with some animal bone and modern pottery.
Ditch 3 was not identified during centre-line testing and was stratigraphically earlier than Ditch 2, which truncated it on its western side and part of its terminal. It was exposed for 9m from a terminal at the southern end and continued northward beyond the limit of excavation. The cut was 1.6m wide and 0.48m deep, orientated north-northeast/south-south-west, similar to the northern portion of Ditch 2. It terminated at the point where Ditch 2 turned in an east-south-east direction. The lower fill was medium-to-large stones up to 0.29m deep that contained a piece of late medieval pottery and a piece of brick.
Ditch 2 was the northernmost of the ditches identified during testing (Stonehousefarm 2.2). The northern portion was traced for 12.5m in a north-north-east/south-south-west direction before turning east-south-east for a distance of 19.25m to a rounded terminal. The northern part truncated Ditch 3 and its eastern terminal cut a cobbled surface. It was 1.1m wide at the northern end and up to 2m wide along the eastern part. It was shallower in the eastern part, at 0.25m deep, and up to 0.47m at the northern end.
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