2019:243 - Newtownmoyaghy, Co. Meath, Meath

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Meath Site name: Newtownmoyaghy, Co. Meath

Sites and Monuments Record No.: ME049-A003001 & ME049-A003002 Licence number: 19E0547

Author: Liam Coen c/o Archer Heritage Planning

Site type: Testing

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 689530m, N 739680m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.399667, -6.653722

The site comprises agricultural land to the north of the Rye River but with extensive ongoing construction work in the immediate area. It was proposed to excavate 20 trenches by mechanical excavator under archaeological supervision. A 16-ton tracked excavator with a 2.4m grading bucket was used to excavate the trenches. The trenches were targeted on assessing the archaeological potential of the general area with two trenches specifically located to assess the archaeological potential of two potential ring-ditches, RMP no.’s ME049-A003001 & ME049-A003002, identified as crop-marks in aerial photography. The subsoil of the southern block comprised mottled brown and grey clay with extensive areas of sand and gravel likely as a consequence of the proximity to the Rye Water River. The subsoil of the northern block comprised mottled brown boulder clay. Two areas of archaeological interest were identified during the test excavation, areas 1 & 2.

Area 1
Area 1 consists of two ring-ditches; RMP no. ME049A003001- and ME049A003002-; identified previously as crop-marks and now confirmed as archaeological features in Trenches 3 and 4. The cut of the first ring-ditch, ME049A003001-, is circular in plan, has an external diameter of 15.75m north-west/south-east and contains a single fill comprising a friable brown sandy clay with frequent small stone inclusions. The cut varies from 1.05-2.70m in width, has a V-shaped profile and the test-slot revealed a depth of 0.80m. No evidence for internal features or potential cremation material was identified.
The second ring-ditch, ME049A003002-, lies 23.5m to the east. Its cut, also circular in plan, was 12.3m east/west in external diameter and varies in width from 0.85-1.15m and the test slot revealed a depth of 0.30m. Its only fill comprised a friable brown sandy clay with frequent small stone inclusions. No evidence for internal features or potential cremation material was identified.

Area 2
Area 2 consists of the remains of a plectrum shaped enclosure with an entrance gap of 2.95m in the south-east. The south-western, south-eastern and northern portions are relatively straight with sharp turns identified at the north-western, north-eastern and southern arcs. The width varies from 2.00-2.50m and two test-slots in the northern and south-eastern parts revealed depths of 0.95m and 1.20m respectively. The upper fill of the enclosure ditch is uniform throughout and comprises a friable brown silty clay with small and medium stone inclusions with a depth of 0.55m. The lower fill comprised a friable greyish brown silty clay with occasional snail shell and frequent small and medium sized stone inclusions. Two small fragments of animal bone were retrieved from the lower fill of the south-eastern test slot.
The remains of a smelting pit was identified c. 8.5m to the north of the enclosure. It measured 0.20m in diameter and contained charcoal and oxidized clay around its perimeter and several small pieces of slag.
An east-north-east/west-south-west orientated ditch extended off the northern portion of the enclosure and was recorded for at least 116m. The width varies from 1.0-1.8m and a test-slot revealed a depth of 0.35m.

Archer Heritage Planning, 8 Beat Centre, Stephenstown, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin.