2006:1395 - Tankardsrock, Louth

The site was revealed during monitoring of topsoil-stripping (see AD19 below, 06E0142) along the route of a gas pipeline from the existing BGE facilities in Gormanstown, Co. Meath, to an interconnecting point with the north–west pipeline to the north of Belfast at Ballyalbanagh, Co. Antrim. The site was located on the east side of the 25m-wide route corridor, close to the south bank of an unnamed burn flowing west–east across low-lying reclaimed pasture.
Two plough-truncated areas of black, heavily charcoal-flecked silty clay and heat-shattered stones were investigated. Area A recorded a maximum north-west/south-east extent of c. 14m by c. 8.5m and was up to c. 0.5m thick. A subrectangular box-like structure composed of large flat upright stones was uncovered within the burnt material, midway along the eastern side of the mound. The structure was aligned north-east/south-west, with internal dimensions of 0.96m by 0.68m by 0.47m high. It stood on the flat base of a wide shallow pit and had been carefully constructed, with upright stones set vertically along the northern, southern and eastern sides and a large flat subrectangular stone laid horizontally on the western side. The location of the feature, together with its fill of burnt stone and charcoal-rich silt, suggested that it functioned as an oven or possibly an elevated trough, although no evidence for lining was recovered. The feature may have been constructed in two stages, the flat horizontal stone replacing uprights on the western side.
Two curvilinear rows of stake-holes were found on the south-west side of the stone structure, indicating possible windbreaks. The clay within the interior area of the stake-holes displayed signs of burning. Immediately north-west of the stone structure was an oval fire pit that measured 1.42m north-east/south-west by 0.75m by 0.25m deep. Three flint flakes and a quernstone were recovered from the burnt mound.
The eastern margin of a burnt spread was exposed c. 17m south-west of Area A, projecting c. 1.5m from the western limit of the pipeline corridor. The exposed spread measured c. 5m long and up to c. 0.15m thick. The northernmost of two north-east/south-west-aligned parallel linear features was partially overlaid by, and located at the southern end of, the spread. The features were c. 0.5m apart, extended c. 4.5m from the western limit of the corridor, measured c. 0.5m wide and c. 0.2m deep and were filled with sandy clay and stones. The southernmost linear feature contained a sherd of prehistoric pottery.