2005:1546 - FARTHINGSTOWN, Westmeath

Excavations were undertaken in advance of realignment of the N6, between Kinnegad and Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath, in 2004 (Excavations 2004, No. 1748, 04E0908). Farthingstown 9 was one of six areas of archaeological potential uncovered in Farthingstown townland, near the western end of the scheme. Following the identification of a linear feature during the testing phase, the site was reopened in January 2005. Two ditches were uncovered and partially excavated in order to determine their full extent, configuration and date.
The main feature, C.1, is a possible field boundary ditch, which is orientated from north-west to south-east and splits in two at the eastern end. The feature measures more than 26m from north-north-west/south-south-east by 2m in width by 0.75m in depth. Five sections of the ditch were excavated. A small field drainage ditch, C.6, orientated from north-east to south-west, is located south of C.1. It measures more than 1.2m north-west to south-east by 1.2m by 0.35m depth. Both ditches were truncated by the initial test-trench and their relationship to each other is not clear.
There is an extant field boundary ditch, orientated from north-north-west to south-south-east, in the adjoining field to the east, along the line of C.1. C.1 may be a remnant of a possible continuation of the ditch in the adjoining field, destroyed by the time the first-edition (1840) 6-inch OS map was produced. The drainage ditch C.6 is agricultural in nature and is not represented on the first-edition 6-inch OS map. Both C.1 and C.6 are of slight archaeological significance. They are representative of a post-medieval field system and will be interpreted along with similar features excavated at Kiltotan Collinstown Sites 13 (A001/008) and 14 (A001/009) (see Nos 1571 and 1572 below), Farthingstown 11 (see No. 1548 below, A001/085) and Monganstown 2 (see No. 1576 below, A001/002).