County: Meath Site name: Oldbridge
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 16E0365
Author: Rosanne Meenan
Site type: Post-medieval
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 704919m, N 775704m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.720444, -6.410316
An archaeological assessment was prepared to accompany a planning application for an extension to an existing property. The site is located in Oldbridge townland within the buffer zone of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site. There are a number of recorded monuments within the townland most of which are prehistoric but which also include monuments of early medieval date. A cluster of ring-barrows and lithic scatters were found to the south-west during field-walking in 2000.
The development site also lies within the area of the battlefield of the Battle of the Boyne, in particular on or close to the site of the Jacobite camp but also close to fords on the river Boyne.
Five trenches were excavated. Two were located in open area to the west-south-west of the house where the percolation area was to be located. Trenches 3-5 were excavated on or close to the footprint of the development. Trench 3 produced fragments of brick and coal; sherds of 19th-20th-century pottery were recovered from the other two trenches. No archaeological features, however, were observed in any of these trenches and no earlier artefacts were recovered.
Monitoring was carried out during ground works for the development. South of the gable wall of the existing house, there was a large deposit of bottles and other household material probably dating to the end of the 19th century/beginning of 20th century. No other archaeological material was recovered.
Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath
