2023:274 - Donacarney, Mornington, Meath

It is proposed to develop a green field area of land, permitted uses under G1 zoning, extending to some 2ha, in Donacarney, located some 4km east of Drogheda and 0.5km south of the village of Mornington. It is bounded to the north and west by green fields, to the south by existing housing developments and to the east by Church Road and the grounds of the Star of the Sea Church. The site is centred on NGR O 13175 75375 with the underlying bedrock consisting of limestone and shales of the Mornington formation overlain by gravels derived from limestones. The site is located in the townland of Mornington, in the parish of Colp and the barony of Duleek Lower.
Testing, which took place between 28 and 30 June 2023, uncovered evidence for archaeological activity across the site, with the exception of the south and south-east corner. This evidence took the form of linear and curvilinear features, midden-like spreads, possible kilns and hearths, as well as other more generalised areas of burning, and finally numerous possible small pits/post-holes.

The linear features are readily interpreted as agricultural in origin, comprising evidence for field boundaries. However no such boundaries are noted on the Ordinance Survey maps of the area and it is therefore possible that these boundaries date to the late medieval period, or potentially earlier.
The two curvilinear features would appear to be similar in form, suggestive of circles each some 8m in diameter. This would be on the small side, were they to be considered hut sites; the remains of ploughed out ring ditches, or burial sites dating to the Bronze Age, is considered more likely.
The two spreads of midden deposits are clear indications of occupation across the site. The larger spread, in the north-east corner, is also the area of local higher ground. The spread here consists of quite extensive deposits of pure shell, mostly cockle shells, within a matrix of a humic soil. No dating evidence for the deposit was uncovered in the course of the testing but there are numerous examples in the archaeological record of where shell midden deposits, in a coastal context, have produced evidence for Mesolithic activity (Woodman 2015).
The apparent extent of compact stony gravels, some of which exhibited evidence for burning, uncovered along the northern end of the site, corresponds with a break in slope, with the ground further to the north dropping down quite steeply into the valley of an unnamed stream. It was not clear if this association between deposit and slope was significant or indeed if the gravel is archaeological in origin. However, it is possible that the compacted gravels may represent some form of linear feature running along the top of the break in slope, potentially forming a boundary along this area of the site.
The potential kilns, hearths and pit- or post-hole-like features spread across the remainder of the site, suggest, with the other evidence, varying density of activity, with the lowest in the south and south-east corner, medium density into the west and the highest complexity of archaeology evidenced in the north-east corner.
An examination of the site in its wider context reveals it is located roughly equidistant between the medieval settlement of Mornington to the north and the early medieval site of Colp to the southwest. The settlement of Mornington (RMP ME021-001; Ch. 3680-4040) is dated to the 13th century and was most likely named ‘Marinerstown’ after Robert le Mariner, who died before 1234 (Bradley and King 1985, 91). A church (RMP ME021-001001; Ch. 3820- 3830) is listed in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-06) of Pope Nicholas IV at Maris (SMR file). During the 1536 Suppression Furness Abbey in Yorkshire was granted parts of the parish including ‘Marynerton’ (White 1943, 314, 319). The first edition OS map shows houses fronting onto the roadway through Mornington to the south of the river estuary. The houses were accompanied by regular rectangular plots that have the potential to represent medieval property divisions commonly associated with ‘ladder’ settlements, which were often established by the Anglo-Normans. The church of Rath Colpa (ME021-012004-) has associations with St Patrick, who landed at Inbher Colpa, thought to be the mouth of the River Boyne, on his return to Ireland, and the church is thought to have been founded by him, although there is no clear history of it (Cogan 1862-70, 1, 177-8; Waters 1965, 261).
The site under discussion is located on an area of relatively level ground, bounded to the north and west by the steep sides of the valley of an unnamed stream, creating a slight promontory, which would have made an attractive site for settlement in the past, with its direct access to the River Boyne at Mornington and close to the important religious site at Colp. It is known from recent excavations that the area of the site was archaeologically rich, with excavations in the adjacent development of Maydenhayes to the south producing extensive archaeological features including ring ditches, kilns and ancient agricultural field boundaries and the results of this testing phase, suggests a similar range and complexity of archaeological features survive on this site.

References:

Bradley, J. and King, H.A. 1985 Urban archaeological survey - county Meath. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Cogan, A. (1826–1872) The Diocese of Meath Ancient and Modern. Dublin.

French, N. (2012) Meath Holy Wells. Trim: Meath Heritage Centre.

Simington, R.C. (ed.) (1940) The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. V: county of Meath. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Waters, O. D. 1965 ‘Miscellanea: Some notes on Rath-Colpa.’ Ríocht na Mídhe 3, 3, 260-2.

White, N.B. 1943 Extents of Irish monastic possessions, 1540-1541. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Woodman, P. 2015 Ireland’s First Settlers: Time and the Mesolithic Oxbow Books Oxford.

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