County: Meath Site name: Bellewstown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: ME027–035 Licence number: 07E0249
Author: Ian R. Russell, Archaeological Consultancy Services, Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth.
Site type: Barrow
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 667186m, N 807760m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.014685, -6.974870
Excavation was carried out at the site of a barrow located within a worked quarry operated by Kilsaran Concrete Ltd at Bellewstown, Co. Meath. The site of the barrow was cleared of all vegetation, after which it was noted that there was little surface evidence of the monument as had previously been described within the Archaeological Inventory for Co. Meath. A topographical survey was carried out which also generally failed to provide a detailed picture of the barrow.
Upon completion of the topographical survey the sod and topsoil were removed by hand. During the removal of the sod and topsoil a baulk was developed across the centre of the site. This clearly showed that at some point in time the surface expression of the earthworks associated with this barrow had been subjected to disturbance and that only a small section of earthen bank remained, c. 0.3m in height, located to the west of the barrow.
The barrow takes the form of an oval-shaped earth-cut ditch measuring on average between 0.9m and 1m wide and c. 0.4m in depth enclosing an area of 4.2m east–west by 3.1m. The ditch was continuous, with no breaks or openings. The ditch contained three fills: a loose light-brown deposit with the general appearance of topsoil overlaying a lower charcoal-rich deposit (C004), overlaying a light-grey silt. During the excavation of the ditch no traces of cremated bone were identified; however, the general appearance of C004 suggested that this deposit was formed by placing burnt material within the ditch on a number of occasions and not during one single event. Two flint blades were retrieved from C004 and one scraper. No other archaeological features and deposits were recorded.
However, it must be noted that the area surrounding the barrow has been subjected to high levels of ground disturbance associated with the development of the quarry. Samples of C004 were taken and a radiocarbon date derived from material in the same context as the lithic material suggests a date of between ad 980 and 1010 (cal bp 1000 to 940), placing this deposit in the early medieval period, which conflicts with the appearance of three flint artefacts associated with the same deposit.
It must be noted that during the disturbance of the monument between 1985 and 2007 features associated with the monument’s original surface expression, which may have contained features and deposits representing later activity, may have contaminated earlier deposits.
