2006:966 - LONGSTONE, Kildare

This site was identified during monitoring (05E1103) in November 2005. This was part of the archaeological requirement for Contract 2 of the Kildare water strategy. The water system between Ballymore Eustace and Old Kilcullen is being upgraded. This area encompasses parts of the east Kildare uplands and the plains of central and southern Kildare. It consists largely of agricultural lands, both pasture and tillage, in gently rolling countryside. The environment is rich in monuments from various periods, dating back as far as the Neolithic.

There were ten pits containing cremated bone on this site. Six of these were located at the western end of the site and four were at the eastern end. The largest and most complex of the pits was located at the south-western end of the site. This cut was roughly oval in plan with quite vertical sides and a flat base. It was 2.54m long, 1.7m wide and 0.87m deep. This feature had four fills. The basal fill, which was 0.19m deep, was loosely compacted dark-grey silty sand with many small fragments of cremated bone and occasional flecks of charcoal. There were also occasional inclusions of small and medium-sized stones. The uppermost fill was loosely compacted mid-red/brown silty sand with occasional small and medium-sized sub-angular stones. There was no cremated bone in this layer. It may have served as a sealing layer to protect the contents of the cremation pit complex.

Two later cremation pits had truncated this feature. The first truncation was circular in plan with gradually sloped sides and a concave base. It was 1.65m in diameter and 0.48m deep. This cut had two fills: 0.23m of loosely compacted dark-brown silty sand with frequent small fragments of cremated bone and occasional small stones sealed 0.25m of loosely compacted dark-grey silty sand, which also contained frequent small fragments of burnt bone. The second cut truncated the first and was roughly circular in plan with sloped sides and a flattish base. It was 0.62m long, 0.6m wide and 0.2m deep and was filled by loosely compacted dark-brown silty sand with frequent small fragments of burnt bone, moderate amounts of small stones and occasional flecks of charcoal.

There were two adjacent cremation pits to the north of this complex. The more westerly was oval in plan with gradually sloped sides and a flat base. It was 0.71m long, 0.55m wide and 0.11m deep. It was filled by moderately compact dark-brown clayey sand that had moderate amounts of small fragments of burnt bone and occasional flecks of charcoal. The cut directly to the east of this was roughly circular in plan. It had sloped sides and a flat base. The diameter was 0.44m and it was 0.2m deep. The fill was moderately compact mid-grey/brown clayey sand with occasional small fragments of cremated bone and flecks of charcoal.

A shallow cremation pit lay to the north-east of these. This feature was isolated from any of the other cremation pits on the site. The cut was roughly oval in plan with very sloped sides and a concave base. It was 0.65m long, 0.6m wide and 0.1m deep. The fill was loose dark-brown silty sand with occasional small fragments of cremated bone.

Four cremation pits were located towards the eastern end of the site. Two of these had more than one fill and were partly truncated on their eastern side by the cut of a furrow. The larger of these was circular in plan with sloped sides and concave base. It was 0.83m long, 0.79m wide and 0.31m deep and contained three fills. The uppermost fill (0.04m deep) consisted of moderately compact mid- to dark-brown silty sand with occasional small fragments of burnt bone, flecks of charcoal and pebbles. This sealed an area of redeposited natural in the western part of the cut. The basal and primary fills of the cut were loosely compacted black/brown silty sand with frequent small fragments of cremated bone and flecks of charcoal. There were also inclusions of small pieces of quartz. The quartz may be naturally occurring or it may have been deposited as part of the ritual associated with the burial of the cremated remains.

The second cremation pit was located almost directly to the north of this. Here the cut was subrectangular in plan. It had rounded corners, almost vertical sides and a flat base. This feature was 0.4m long, 0.31m wide and 0.23m deep. It contained two fills. The upper fill was loosely compacted black/brown clayey sand with many small fragments of burnt bone and moderate flecks of charcoal. This fill was 0.12m deep and sealed the basal fill, which consisted of loose mid-brown clayey sand with moderate inclusions of charcoal flecks and occasional small fragments of cremated bone. The basal fill was 0.11m deep.

The final two cremation pits were to the east of this. The more westerly was oblong in plan with gradually sloped sides and a concave base. It was 0.84m long, 0.48m wide and 0.18m deep and was partly truncated on its north-eastern side by a furrow. The more easterly cremation pit was oval in plan with sloped sides and a flat base. It was 0.75m long, 0.49m wide and 0.19m deep. Both pits contained just one fill of moderately compact mid- to dark-brown silty sand with frequent inclusions of small fragments of cremated bone, flecks of charcoal and small stones.

The site was truncated by a series of eleven agricultural furrows, which ran in a north-east/south-west direction across the site. Most of the furrows extended beyond the limit of the site to either the north or the south, or in both directions. These were between 11.1m and 11.3m long. Three of the furrows did not extend for the full width of the site. These were between 8.35m and 9.5m in length. There was one short furrow, which did not extend to either edge of the site. Although the furrows ranged from 0.45m to 1.25m wide, six of them were 0.8m wide. There was some evidence to suggest the furrow which was 1.25m wide actually represented two overlapping furrows. These features ranged from 0.17m to 0.26m in depth. The cuts of the furrows were linear in plan with sloped sides and concave to flat bases. Seven of the furrows were filled by moderately compacted mid-brown clayey sand, with occasional to moderate inclusions of small sub-angular stones and moderate to frequent inclusions of pebbles. The other four furrows were filled by loosely compacted mid-brown silty sand with frequent inclusions of small stones and pebbles. A sherd of medieval pottery and a fragment of clay pipe were recovered from the fill of one of the furrows.

There was a linear cut which ran in a north-west/south-east direction across the extent of the site towards its western end. This cut had sloped, though somewhat irregular, sides and a flattish base. It was 11.4m long, 0.68m wide and 0.38m deep. It was the only one of the linear cuts to be orientated north-west/south-east and was truncated by two of the agricultural furrows.

There are two phases of activity at this site. The ten cremation pits represent the prehistoric phase. These differed quite substantially from each other, both in the general plan of the cuts and in the number of fills contained in each pit. It is unlikely that the burials at these pits all took place at the same time. They can be considered to be loosely contemporary, in that the same social and cultural group would have dug them. These cremation burials may represent a number of generations of the same group.

The agricultural furrows most probably date to the post-medieval period. They clearly pre-dated the use of modern agricultural machinery. Although they were similar overall, they differed sufficiently both in plan (with some having concave and others having flat bases) and in width to have been dug individually. There was some evidence for this area having been ploughed in more than one season. It was not clear why the linear cut was orientated north-west/south-east, while each of the furrows was orientated north-east/south-west. This cut pre-dated the furrows, as it was truncated by two of them. This feature may have been part of an old field boundary that had gone out of use by the time the furrows were being dug.

Brehon House, Kilkenny Road, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny