2011:615 - NEWDOWN 1, Westmeath

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Westmeath Site name: NEWDOWN 1

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 11E020

Author: James Kyle

Site type: Bronze Age burnt mound

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 650940m, N 750848m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.504942, -7.231283

Testing and pre-excavation services—Stages (i) and (ii) were undertaken under licence 11E020 across thirteen test areas on the N4 The Downs Grade Separation Scheme by David Bayley in February 2011 (see above, No. 615). During the course of the works a burnt mound was discovered (Newdown 1). The Stage (iii) excavation was undertaken by James Kyle between 23 and 26 May 2011.
Newdown 1 comprised a burnt mound consisting of heat-shattered stone and charcoal-rich soil. It measured 11.75m x 11.65m x 0.35m and sealed an associated circular trough.
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) charcoal retrieved from the fill of the trough returned a 2-sigma calibrated date of 1890–1744 BC, indicating a date in the Early Bronze Age for this site. Alder, oak, ash, hazel and elm charcoal were all identified in the environmental assemblage from the trough and burnt mound deposits, and these are all indicative of the fuel selection used to heat the stones for the burnt mound trough. In addition, two bone fragments were found in the burnt mound deposit. One of these was unidentifiable, while the other was identified as a fragment of deer antler.

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