2006:1499 - KILLEGLAND, Ashbourne, Meath

An excavation was carried out in advance of the construction of a housing estate in the townland of Killegland, located to the south-west of Ashbourne village and close to Broadmeadow River, during the autumn of 2006. The excavation is still ongoing, but the preliminary results are impressive. During the removal of topsoil, two sites were uncovered. Site 1 was located on a slight rise 0.4km to the south of Broadmeadow River and Site 2 was on an area of higher ground 100m further south and adjacent to an early medieval ecclesiastical enclosure (ME045–004).

Site 1, Ring-ditch A
The ring-ditch was almost circular in shape, had an internal diameter of 18.26m and an external diameter of 22.5m and was constructed on a gentle slope to the south of the river. There was no evidence for an external bank. The entrance took the form of a 5.25m-wide uncut causeway to the south. The enclosing ditch was partially truncated by the second ring-ditch and had a distinctive U-shaped profile, a maximum width of 1.52m and an average depth of 0.5m. The primary fill of the ditch consisted of a sterile brown clay mixed with some silt and may have been backfilled deliberately. A small quantity of charcoal was recovered from the base of the ditch, which hopefully will provide a radiocarbon date. A fragment of coarse reddish-brown pottery and a piece of flint debitage were the only artefacts recovered from the fill. A second shallow charcoal-rich deposit (4.1m long, 1.08m wide, 0.12m deep) was exposed along the northern side of the ring-ditch over the main fill. The sampling of charcoal from both the top and bottom of the ditch should provide a useful range of dates and assist with the interpretation of the site.

The internal area of the ring-ditch was relatively flat and contained a circular-shaped single pit located in the centre, 0.67m in diameter and 0.22m deep. The pit was filled with brown silty clay and only minimal charcoal flecking and small stones. No artefacts were found and there was no cremated bone or traces of oxidised clay indicative of a burial. The shallow linear feature just to the west was interpreted as a plough furrow several of which were identified across the site.

Site 1, Ring-ditch B
The second ring-ditch was located slightly further to the south and was defined by two concentric ditches. The outer ditch truncated the earlier ring-ditch along its northern edge and there was no evidence for an external bank. The internal area had a diameter of 18.5m and was enclosed by a ditch with a V-shaped profile and a maximum width and depth of 1.2m and 0.32m. The ditch was filled with lightly charcoal-flecked silty clay, from which a number of finds were recovered. Several fragments of coarse decorated pottery and flint flakes were found. The entrance took the form of an uncut causeway, 2.4m wide and facing south. A metalled surface was laid down directly over the causeway. The inner horseshoe-shaped ditch had a maximum width of 1.2m, a depth of 0.16m and an east-facing entranceway. No internal features were found within the ring-ditch. Charcoal samples from the ditch should provide a date for the site.

Adjacent pits
The first two pits were located 20m to the west of the ring-ditches. Both oval-shaped pits measured between 1.5 and 1.85m and had bowl-shaped profiles 0.25m deep. They were filled with brown charcoal-rich silty clay mixed with traces of oxidised clay. The third pit was located 13m to the south and had similar dimensions and content. The fourth pit contained nothing of any archaeological importance. No artefacts or bones were recovered from any of the three pits, but their proximity to the ring-ditches and the traces of oxidised clay would suggest they had a ritual significance and may have originally contained cremations.

Site 2
The site was located on a gentle rise 50m to the west of an early medieval ecclesiastical settlement thought to have been the location of St Declan’s Church, from which Killegland gets its name. The ecclesiastical site is currently used as a graveyard, but traces of an enclosing bank can still be seen (internal diameter 42m). A substantial enclosing ditch was uncovered during the removal of topsoil. Based on the shape of the enclosing ditch and on the measurements available, about half of the enclosure lay outside the limits of the excavation to the east and would have formed an outer enclosure around the early ecclesiastical site.

Enclosure
The ditch was roughly U-shaped in profile with a maximum depth of 1.9m and an average width of 3.3m. The dimensions of the enclosure remained relatively consistent across the site and there was little variation in the width and depth. The ditch was cut into two layers of the natural boulder clay above a layer of gravel and the fills were composed of stratified deposits of compact mid- to dark-brown silts and clays which accumulated naturally over a substantial period of time. The entrance was to the north-west and was characterised by a 3.8m-wide causeway faced on each side with medium-sized stones. The internal area contained numerous drainage gullies and several larger ditches. Of particular interest were the two souterrains uncovered within the enclosure.

Souterrain A
This structure was located in the south-west part of the site and within the main enclosure. It was aligned north–south and was the smaller of the two souterrains, measuring c. 11.75m in length. Two parallel drystone walls measuring 9.3m in length formed the side walls of the structure. The outer width of the passage measured 1.38m and the internal width measured 0.76–1m and had a maximum depth of 0.68m. The chamber, which was stone lined, measured 3.18m in diameter and had a maximum depth of 1.32m.

Souterrain B
The second souterrain was located further to the south-east, was aligned north-west/south-east and was considerably larger and more complex than Souterrain A. The rectangular entrance chamber consisted of a single course of drystone walling measuring 4.2m by 3.4m, with a single internal partition 2.2m in length, and had a maximum height of 0.4m. The entrance was located in the north-east corner of the chamber and measured 1m across. The passage measured 17.4m and had a minimum height of 0.3m and a maximum height of 0.9m. The chamber had an internal diameter of 3.2m and a maximum depth of 1.7m.

The souterrain consisted of a small rectangular ‘entrance’ chamber, followed by a long slightly curving passage that led into a large beehive-shaped chamber. Again the walls of the entrance chamber, passage and beehive-shaped chamber consisted of finely built drystone walling of roughly hewn limestone. The entrance chamber would have been aboveground and was the highest and shallowest feature within the souterrain. Apart from being the only entrance to the souterrain, the function of this rectangular structure remains unclear. If this souterrain was used primarily for storage, then this structure may have acted as some kind of storage shed for less perishable goods while the lower chamber functioned as a cellar, storing goods which needed darkness and colder temperatures. The possible metalled surface in the passage only occurred at the point where the souterrain cut into the fill of an earlier ditch.

Additional features
The internal area of the enclosure contained numerous pits and several simple corn-drying kilns. The excavation is still ongoing, but artefacts recovered so far indicate an early medieval date of between the 8th and 11th centuries. These artefacts include bone combs, lignite bracelets, pins, iron knives, bone needles and a large assortment of unidentifiable iron objects. No pottery was recovered from any of the features inside the enclosure.

External area
The area directly north of the enclosure is a confusing patchwork of intersecting linear features, the majority of which are ditches and gullies associated with agricultural activities probably associated with the enclosure site, although further excavation is required. The northern area was later occupied during the medieval period for small-scale industrial purposes. Broken pots, iron slag, charcoal and several fire-spots were exposed directly over the silted-up series of ditches and gullies.

The excavation at Killegland will continue during 2007 and a full excavation summary will be made available once the full extent of the archaeological remains have been exposed and excavated.

Carlow