2007:1362 - Nugentstown 3, 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 Shane Delaney (IAC Ltd) in 2004 (Excavations 2004, No. 1171, 04E0920). It was excavated during September 2006 and consisted of a series of agricultural furrows in the north and east of the area of excavation, as well as a number of pits and post-holes located in the south and west. Finds from this site include modern ceramics, burnt bone, flint flakes and possible prehistoric pottery (to be confirmed by specialist identification).
An oval-shaped north-east/south-west pit (1.05m by 1.03m by 0.5m), located roughly at the centre of the area of excavation, contained an upper layer of possible ash with heat-shattered stones and occasional charcoal. Possible prehistoric pottery and burnt bone were recovered from this layer and similar pottery and flint from the primary layer, which consisted of a dark charcoal-rich soil with heat-shattered stones. Eight circular post-holes (average 0.3m diameter by 0.08m depth) were located to the west of the pit, suggesting two separate linear lines of posts that went beyond the edge of the area of excavation.
Two further pits were located to the south. The first (c. 1m by 0.5m by 0.18m) consisted of an irregular figure-of-eight pit that contained two fills: a charcoal-rich silty clay upper fill and a loose brown sandy clay lower fill. The second (0.73m by 0.69m by 0.18m) was oval-shaped, also with two fills, the upper of which comprised a soft grey sandy silt with pebble inclusions and the primary fill constituted a soft grey/black sandy/silty soil enriched with charcoal.
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.