2007:1321 - Grange 2, Meath

This site was located within Contract 4 (Navan–Kells and Kells bypass) of the M3 Clonee to North of Kells motorway scheme and was identified during testing carried out by Jo Ronayne (IAC Ltd) in 2004 (Excavations 2004, No. 1245, 04E0925). It was excavated between 16 June and 14 July 2006 and was located immediately north-west of Grange 3 (see No. 1322 below, A029/005; adjacent to the ring-ditch in Grange 3).
Eight grave-cuts were excavated, of which only three contained articulated extended supine skeletons. These skeletons were in a poor state of preservation and in one case the feet had completely disappeared, while in another grave only the femur, tibia and fibula remained in situ. The remaining graves did not contain evidence for articulated skeletons, although bone was recovered from each cut. The graves were cut into the natural soil and simply backfilled with the same soil once the body had been interred. Three grave-cuts had stone markers to indicate the top of the grave (i.e. that nearest the head) and one grave was completely stone-lined. None of the graves yielded any artefacts and the only find from the entire site was a glass bead found in a small pit to the north of the site.
An impressive kiln was located to the south of this small cemetery. The kiln measured c. 3m long and had a maximum depth of 0.9m. A ceramic furnace bowl was located in the west of the feature. Black slag coated almost the entire outer surface of the ceramic furnace and extended down (indeed, its formation indicates that it poured) towards the narrow central area. The eastern half of the kiln widened, dropped in level and showed evidence for intense firing; the wall and floor of the cut was bright red.
This work was funded by Meath County Council and the National Roads Authority.

Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.