County: Longford Site name: KNOCK
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 17:4 Licence number: 05E0367
Author: Richard Crumlish, 4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 601122m, N 768943m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.670235, -7.983008
Pre-development testing was carried out between 11 and 13 April 2005 at a site in advance of its development at Knock townland, Lanesborough, Co. Longford. A possible windmill was located within the proposed development site, which consisted of the construction of eight four-bedroom detached houses and 32 three-bedroom semi-detached houses with connection to sewer and water mains together with all other necessary site works. The proposed development respected a 20m buffer zone around the monument, which consisted of a circular roofless tower.
The testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of eight trenches to cover the site area. These measured 101.3m, 88.1m, 70.4m, 60.9m, 68.2m, 40.7m, 45.6m and 35.2m long, 0.8–1.35m wide and 0.3–0.9m deep. Below the topsoil were sterile natural subsoils (orange/grey/brown friable/firm clay loam, grey/brown firm/plastic clay), bedrock and a fill which contained modern artefacts. The topsoil also contained modern artefacts only. The testing revealed nothing of archaeological significance.
