2011:486 - KNOWTH, Meath

Archaeological Development Services Ltd was commissioned by the Office of Public Works to excavate seven percolation test pits in order to inform a planning application for toilet facilities, septic tank and associated pipes. The location of these works was in the grounds of Knowth House, approximately 50m north-east of Knowth monument (ME019-030). Owing to the sensitive nature of the location, next to the site of a National Monument and within the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site boundary, it was required that the percolation pits be excavated by hand under ministerial consent.
The seven percolation pits ranged in size from 1.8m2 to 0.3m2 and were excavated on 21 and 22 March 2011. A levelling deposit was encountered in six out of the seven test pits. In some cases it appeared that this deposit had been dumped on top of the original sod level and the dumped material used to raise the ground level. In one or two pits the old sod layer was not evident, and in this case it is not clear whether the ground may have been scarped before dumping the fill. Inclusions such as red brick, scrap metal, glass, glazed red earthenware and transfer-printed ware indicate a 19th–20th-century date for the levelling deposit. It is possible that undisturbed archaeology could exist below the levelling deposit.

Archaeological Development Services Ltd, Unit 6 Channel Wharf, 21 Old Channel Road, Belfast BT3 9DE