2007:994 - Whitehall/Paulstown 1, Kilkenny

This site was located within the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford road scheme along Contract 2, Phase 4B, Knocktopher to Powerstown, on the eastern slope of a small hill with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape including the Blackstairs Mountains to the east and Brandon Hill to the south. A standing stone outside the road-take was also visible through the existing field boundary to the north. The site represented a Bronze Age burial site at the crest of the hill. Three classic stone-lined cist burials were found on the site (averaging 0.5m in width and 1m in length). These comprised rectangular-shaped cuts lined at the sides and base with limestone slabs (no capstones survived) and containing cremation deposits. Two food vessel burials were uncovered on the site. The largest was an oval pit (1m by 1.76m by 0.5m) with five vessels (Pots A–E) placed directly on the base. All but one of these (Pot B) were inverted. A sixth possible vessel (Pot F) was found underlying Pot D. This may have been a second upright vessel or, alternatively, a lid for Pot D. A large cremation deposit was placed over the vessels and the pit was then backfilled. A final layer of large sub-angular stones completed the burial. The smaller food vessel burial was contained within a subcircular pit (0.75m by 0.81m by 0.24m) and consisted of two vessels (Pots G and H) placed on the base of the cut. One was inverted and the other upright. A cremation deposit overlay the vessels and the pit was then backfilled.
One oval pit (0.86m by 1.03m by 0.21m) contained the remains of a human skull within a cremation deposit. The skull had been placed in an upright/vertical position and the pit had then been backfilled. A large rectangular feature (0.8m by 2.18m by 0.3m) was found with a stone lining on the western sides of the cut. The feature was filled with a charcoal-rich soil containing large quantities of cremated bone. At the southern extent of the burial area, a sizeable circular trough was uncovered (1.42m by 1.52m by 0.8m). This was deep enough to reach ground-water level and held standing water when open. Overlying a deep basal layer of silt, a deposit of animal bones and small angular stones had been placed. Numerous layers of charcoal-enriched soils and cremated bone filled the remainder of the trough. There were a large number of small pits on the site containing cremated remains in varying quantities. In a number of instances these were accompanied by sherds of vase food vessel pottery. A kiln was located to the east of the burial area.
A small ring-ditch (4.6m to 4.9m in external diameter) lay at the eastern extent of the burial area. This had a U-shaped profile (0.7–0.9m wide and 0.35–0.51m deep) and contained a stony basal fill overlain by clay backfill. A small pit with a silty fill was the only feature found within the ring-ditch. Two pits, just outside the ring-ditch to the north, were filled with charcoal-enriched soils; one contained cremated bone.