County: Monaghan Site name: Mullanarockan
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: 06E0640
Author: Carmel Duffy, Umberstown Great, Summerhill, Co. Meath.
Site type: Church (site of) and graveyard
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 663719m, N 839348m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.298925, -7.021087
Testing was undertaken at Mullanarockan, Tydavnet, as part of an assessment. The site is immediately east of MO006–022, listed as a church (site of) and graveyard.
Four test-trenches were mechanically excavated. Human bone fragments were recovered from the south-west corner of Trench 1. The skeletal material was deposited in dark-grey silty clay topsoil. This material was probably thrown out of the graveyard at some time in the past, possibly during cleaning up, or episodes of repairs to the graveyard wall, of which there have been several.
The first-edition OS map shows a small wooded area to the south of the site; three buildings stood on the site at this time, one along the road, one immediately east of the graveyard, on the same axis but smaller, and one to the north of the site, running roughly north-west/south-east.
The eastern end of Trench 4 had 0.15m sod and dark-brown silty clay topsoil. Beneath the sod, there were several large angular stones, 0.5m long, up to 0.2m thick. These stones were probably part of one of the buildings that stood on the site, being suitable for doorsteps, lintels, etc. The stones did not have any visible inscriptions. Beneath the stones there was a layer of black silt with moderate inclusions of charcoal pieces, occasional sandstone and brick fragments. The layer contained no artefacts. Beneath this black silty material was the natural yellow/
brown sterile subsoil. The maximum depth of the trench was 0.8m.
On the south edge of the trench, about 5m from its east end, there was a large thin stone in the top of the wall of the trench. This was removed by machine. It proved to be circular, measuring 1.9m by 1.45m, with a central perforation. The stone was dressed all over its upper surface. The bottom surface of the stone was flat and undressed. When this stone was removed, another one came to light. It appeared to be another millstone, but not as complete as the first. It measured 0.9m long and 0.55m wide and had the remnant of a central perforation.
Arising out of the assessment, the Licensing Authority required topsoil-stripping as a controlled archaeological exercise.
