County: Louth Site name: Marsh Road, Newtown, Drogheda
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 19E0433
Author: Linda Clarke, Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit
Site type: Enclosure & associated features
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 710410m, N 775065m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.713572, -6.327385
A programme of archaeological investigation, including geophysical survey (19R0005) and test trenching (19E0017) identified the presence of a circular enclosure along the line of a proposed road to serve a new residential development. Topsoil stripping and cleaning of the site was carried out by Linda Clarke of ACSU in September 2019. An area 35m by 35m (with an additional 7m north-south by 7m at the north-west corner) was stripped and cleaned by hand. The works revealed the presence of 20 archaeological features, exposing most of the enclosure, with the exception of a small part of the ditch at the east which is cut by a modern ditch and existing hedge.
The enclosure measured 27.9m in diameter and comprised of an external ditch which varied in width from 1.9m to 2.4m and had an average depth of 0.8m. The entrance was at the west-south-west, where there was a 3.5m gap between the terminals of the ringfort.
A second phase of use of the enclosure ditch was seen in recut C115, which cut the entire length of the ditch.
Inside the ringfort, a curvilinear gully C106, looked to have once protected a structure/hut to its west. Two kilns; C104 and C108, were located each side of the gully. Two storage pits, C105 and C198, and a pot-boiler pit, C114, were also located inside the ringfort. Two additional storage pits, C109 and C110, and a kiln, C30, were located outside of the enclosure.
A third phase of activity was represented by kilns, C100 and C103 and charcoal pit C102 that cut into the upper deposits of the recut of the ringfort C115.
To the north-west of the site four graves were identified. The burials were excavated under the supervision of osteoarchaeologist Glenn Gibney. A total of six individuals were identified, five from grave cuts C117, C119, C121 and C123. The remains of a foetus were found in grave C119 with Burial 3 and a further individual was identified through disarticulated bone found during topsoil stripping.
While the burials at Newtown conform to traditional Christian practices (west-east orientated, extended, supine inhumations), Burial 2 was different. The adult was placed in the grave cut with their legs flexed rather than extended. This could have been a pre-Christian burial rite continuing when Christianity was in its infancy. A radiocarbon date from Burial 3 of cal. 430-650 AD (1491 ± 30 BP), placing them securely within the 5th to 7th centuries AD.
Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co Louth
