County: Armagh Site name: Crossdall Road, Middletown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: AE/14/160
Author: Jonathan Barkley
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 676434m, N 833555m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.245132, -6.827281
The site was metal detected to establish whether there was any evidence for the late 16th-century Battle of Clontibret. This battle is recorded as being a series of rolling skirmishes fought between Sir Henry Bagenal and Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone as the former moved to and from the castle at Monaghan. While battlefields, and especially skirmishes, can be difficult to accurately place it was hoped that a metal detecting survey might yield finds of shot or musket balls.
As per the mitigation approved by NIEA, the area of the sheds was metal detected by Dominic Folla with possible find spots being marked by bamboo canes. The monitoring archaeologist, Jonathan Barkley, then followed excavating each of the marked spots. While several dozen potential find spots were examined no material relating to the battle was identified, neither did the excavation of these find spots produce any other non-metallic artefacts. The material uncovered was of a predominantly agricultural nature, with small fragments of rusted iron, nails, bolts and fragments of plough shear all noted. Numerous metal veterinary ointment tubes were present across the site. The only item of any partial interest was the decorated cast iron top of a brush from a fireplace companion set. No further archaeological work was required on this planned development.
NAC, Farset Enterprise Park, 638 Springfield Road, Belfast, BT12 7DY
