2011:641 - KILTEGAN, Wicklow

Excavations at Kiltegan were undertaken on behalf of Philip Hanbidge after the discovery of a ring-ditch during stripping of topsoil for sand-testing by a commercial sand extraction company. Unfortunately many of the ditch fills were removed by machine before the site was recognised as being of archaeological significance and reported to the NMS/DOAHG. Only the south-western quadrant remained relatively intact. The site itself was located to the south of the village of Kiltegan, on top of a short glacial sand ridge which extends along the southern side of the Douglas River on a west-north-west/east-south-east axis.

The excavation revealed a ring-ditch with four different phases of use. Overall the feature had an external diameter of 13m, while the ditch had a maximum width of 2.6m and a maximum depth of 0.5m. The earliest ditch, which represented Phase 1, was only visible in one section towards the south-west. The fills consisted of a redeposit of natural and thin lenses of charcoal-rich silty clay. The second phase was represented by a recutting of the ring-ditch which almost removed all the evidence of the earlier Phase 1 ditch. This ditch was also the widest of the ditches and cremated bone was found scattered through its fills. A third phase of activity was identified with the presence of two small token cremation pits which cut through the upper fills of the Phase 2 recut of the ditch. The fourth phase of activity consisted of another recut of the ring-ditch in which heat-fractured stones along with a scattering of cremated bone were deposited within a black silty fill. Unfortunately, owing to the disturbance from the machine during the unattended topsoil-stripping, much of this black silty fill had been previously removed.

The internal area of the ring-ditch was also heavily disturbed but three notable hollows/depressions were noted, all having a dark stain to their bases, which suggested that they might have been archaeological features. Despite the machine action, two features remained relatively undisturbed; the first consisted of a centrally located pit containing a black silty sand fill with frequent charcoal inclusions. The second feature consisted of a large suboval pit to the south of the central pit. It measured 2.8m long (east–west) by 1m wide and was filled with redeposited natural. Within this oval pit was a large, rectangular trough-like feature, 1.48m long (east–west) by 0.35m wide. This rectangular feature appeared to have been originally constructed from timber, which was now only represented by a deposit consisting of a mid-brown silty clay. The outline of the timber construction/lining was clearly visible both in section and in plan, and featured perfect right-angled corners to the sides and base. Several deposits consisting of thin charcoal lenses and mottled fills containing frequent charcoal flecks and occasional pieces of cremated bone were recorded within the feature. The possibility that this feature may have been a timber-lined cist is also being considered.

Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd, Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork