2016:440 - Monasterboice, Louth

Archaeological features were exposed during the unauthorised excavation of a field drainage ditch in the field to the east of the carpark at Monasterboice. The National Monuments Service was notified in January 2016 and the ditch was inspected on 8 January and the features were identified. A potential ditch-like feature was noted in section along the east-west drainage ditch to the south of the car-park along with a number of other potential smaller features.

At the request of the National Monuments Service, between 28 January and 1 February 2016, archaeologists from Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit (ACSU) carried out a survey of the exposed profiles along the recently excavated drainage ditch. Clear visible evidence of four possible linear features and two partly truncated pits were identified along the ditch.

As part of the assessment, the spoil heaps associated with the excavation of the drainage ditch were subject to a metal detection survey, which also included the detection of the identified features along the length of the recently excavated ditch (Metal detector Consent no. R000403). Four of the eight recorded sections provide clear evidence of substantial linear-type ditch features containing archaeological stratigraphy. Finds retrieved from section 2 and section 4 suggest that these fills/deposits may date from the medieval and early medieval periods with sherds of medieval pottery being retrieved from the lower fills of Linear 2 and an iron reaping hook of possible early medieval type retrieved from the lower deposit of Linear 1.

All the features exposed are clearly associated with the development of the Monasterboice ecclesiastical site and in particular with its enclosing elements. The north-south aligned linear feature recorded within Sections 3 and 4 (Linear 2) represents the townland boundary shown on the first edition OS 6 inch map and appears to coincide with Paul Gosling's suggested enclosure identified from a combination of aerial photography taken in the spring of 1978 and an analysis of the OS maps, which shows the line of the old townland boundary to the east of the present road (Roe 1981, 73-9). Further traces of this ditch have been identified in more recent geophysical survey in the fields to the south and north of the graveyard. This ditch is likely to represent one of the major enclosing elements at Monasterboice and could be part of the outer enclosure of the monastic site.

Linear 3, which is much smaller and shallower, appears to run along the same alignment as Linear 2 and may represent a second ditch running just outside the main one. Linear 1 is aligned roughly north-west to south-east and may form part of a smaller enclosure within the complex similar to the ones visible in the geophysical results on the west side of the road. The area around Linear 4 appears disturbed with quite an amount of large outcropping rock at this location. This band of rock traverses the field here from south-west to north-east and could account for the irregular anomaly marked ‘I’ on the 2008 geophysical survey which was assumed to be an enclosure ditch of a possible annex to the east side of the monastic site. Very similar anomalies detected in the geophysics further north in the survey area were found during testing of a proposed new house in 2015 to represent natural outcropping rock and interspersed soil.

Apart from the linear anomalies two small pits were also recorded in section between Linears 2 and 3.

It is the conclusion of this archaeological assessment that the recent excavation of the drainage ditch has directly impacted upon features associated with the enclosure of the Monasterboice ecclesiastical site. The open drainage ditches on the east and south side of the car park were backfilled under archaeological supervision on 26 February. The drainage ditch along the roadside was left open as before except for a portion to the south of the car-park where Linear 1 crossed through the open ditch. This section was also piped and backfilled to protect any further erosion of the archaeological deposits. The exposed sections of the truncated features were covered with a 100gsm Woven Polypropylene sheet before the ditch was piped and backfilled.

Reference:

Roe, H. 1981 Monasterboice and its monuments. Dundalk 1981.

Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit, Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co Louth