2018:259 - Newtown, Dublin Airport Logistics Park, Fingal, Dublin

A group of human burials were recorded in the center of Newtown ringfort DU014-006001 during testing works. Dr. Linda Lynch confirmed the human skeletal remains to be archaeological. A decision was made to apply to the National Monuments Service to extend the licence due to concerns about further deterioration to the human remains.
The skeletons were excavated in March 2018. A total of eight skeletons were excavated from the interior of Newtown ringfort. All were incomplete as they had suffered significantly from truncation and fragmentation.

Initially six burials were recorded to the north of House Site 1 while a seventh was located to the south of House Site 2 and close to the eastern baulk of the site. The area containing the six burials (SK 1-6) measured approximately 12m north-south by 15m. No formal barrier was identified separating the burial ground from the rest of the interior of the ringfort. The burials were interred in simple earth-dug graves but no real trace of any grave cuts had survived. They were supine and extended with the head orientated to the east. Remains of two additional burials (SK 8 & SK 9) were identified post-excavation by Dr. Lynch.
Skeleton 8 (aged 3.5–4 years) was very incomplete. Fragments of the right femur and right hip (ilium) were bagged with the left hand of SK 4 and are interpreted by Dr. Lynch as the remains of a burial lying parallel to, and to the south of, SK 4. No other remains of SK 8 were recovered on site. It appears that SK 4 (possible female 17-25 years) and SK 8 (3.5-4 years) may have been buried immediately adjacent to each other. In addition one fragment of a bone from a young infant (SK 9 <6 months) was found in association with SK 4. Few dental remains were recovered, just 23 permanent teeth from three adults, one permanent tooth from the adolescent/young adult, and two permanent teeth from a juvenile. Two samples of bone, one from skeleton 3 and the second from skeleton 7, were chosen by Dr. Linda Lynch for AMS dating. Lab ID UB-37844, Sample ID 17E0569:SK3, Context Female 45+ yrs Material/Type, Fragment of diaphysis of right femur, Radiocarbon BP 1499+/-33, Calibrated cal AD 432-640, Date Period, Early medieval Lab ID UB-37845, Sample ID 17E0569:SK7, Context Male 35-39 yrs, Fragment of diaphysis of left femur, Radiocarbon BP 1066+/-33, Calibrated cal AD 895-928, Early medieval It is possible that the eight burials (SK 1-6 and SK 8-9) date to the earlier phase of the ringfort, while SK 7, with the later date and the relatively isolated location, may represent a somewhat later burial on the site, though possibly still when the site was in use. The skeletal assemblage, comprised a total of nine individuals, three adult females, two adult males, one young adult, two juveniles and an infant. Two of these burials, SK 3 and SK 7, were dated to the early medieval period. Eight of the individuals were recorded in a group to the north of house site 1 while the ninth was located close to the eastern boundary of the site. It should be noted that the eastern boundary of the site does not represent the perimeter of the ringfort but the boundary between the green field site and a DHL warehouse to the east. In addition four other individuals, recorded in 2005 but not excavated, are preserved in situ in the eastern portion of the ditch under the DHL carpark. According to Dr. Lynch the Newtown individuals are quite interesting in terms of actual burial practice. They appear to be interred in relatively simple earth-dug graves, the most common form of burial in early medieval Ireland. All appear to be supine and extended. The exception was SK1 (15-20 years), whose skeletal remains were simply too disturbed to ascertain the original burial position, although it was probably at least extended. The unusual aspect of the burials was that, in the vast majority of cases (the exception again being SK1), the bodies were interred with the head to the east, directly opposite to the classic traditional Christian burial which was with the head to the west. There is a possibility that ringfort could be classified as a cemetery settlement site though the number of known recorded burials is low. Only full excavation of the western half of the ringfort would elucidate this possibility. O’Brien (1992; 2003) believes that it was not until the 8th/9th century that burial in recognisable Christian ecclesiastical settlements became the norm in Ireland. Until then burial in unconsecrated family graveyards or ferta was also practised. Burial grounds have now been found in non-ecclesiastical enclosures on numerous excavated sites – often occupying the south-east quadrant and sometimes within a dedicated sub-enclosure. It is difficult to provide a definitive description of a cemetery settlement as they vary widely, however, a number of defining characteristics have emerged (O’Sullivan & Harney 2008; Ó Carragáin 2009; Stout & Stout 2008). The size of the enclosing element ranges from 40–100m and the cemetery element occupies just a small fraction of the available space. The cemetery is usually sited to the east or south-east within the enclosure which mirrors the layout of ecclesiastical cemeteries. With a few exceptions where good dating evidence is available, the sites seem to have fallen out of use by AD 1000. The cemetery settlements have a broadly similar chronology ranging from the 5th/6th century to the 9th/10th century which does tie in with the radiocarbon dates obtained from the burials at Newtown which range from AD 432 to 928. References: O’Brien, E. 1992 'Pagan and Christian burial in Ireland during the first millennium AD: continuity and change'. In N. Edwards and A. Lane (eds.) The early church in Wales and the west, 130–7. Oxbow Monograph 16. Oxford. Ó Carragáin, T. 2009 'From family cemeteries to community cemeteries in Viking Age Ireland' In C. Corlett and M. Potterton (eds.) Death and burial in early medieval Ireland, Dublin. O’Sullivan, A. and Harney, L. 2008 Early Medieval Archaeological Project: Investigating the character of early medieval archaeological excavations, 1970 – 2002. UCD School of Archaeology. Stout, G. and Stout, M. 2008 Excavation of a secular cemetery at Knowth, Site M, Co. Meath. Bray.

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