County: Meath Site name: Portan, Batterstown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: ME044-019---- Licence number: 21E0412
Author: Linda Clarke, Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 696266m, N 747544m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.469132, -6.550063
Archaeological test trenching was carried out Portan, Batterstown, Co. Meath. The site is located c. 20m to the west of field system ME044-019----.
The test trenching took place on 9 July 2021 using a 14-tonne tracked excavator. A total of 6 test trenches were excavated. Each trench measured 1.8m in width, and in total, 124 linear meters were excavated. In general, the trenches revealed light to mid-brown silty clay topsoil and sod with a combined depth between 0.42-0.78m, overlying compact orange boulder clay to a mottled orange/grey boulder clay natural with frequent stone including soft black mudstone. In total, six field drains were exposed in Trenches 1-4. In addition, north-east/south-west aligned linear feature C13 was exposed in Trenches 4 and 5. It measured between 2m to 2.2m in width where exposed, was c. 0.51m deep where sectioned. The feature likely represents the remains of lazy bed or cultivation furrow as it is in the same alignment as a number of cropmarks visible on aerial imagery throughout the site.
No archaeological features or deposits were exposed or identified, and no finds were recovered.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
