Children's burial ground

The National Monuments Service's description

At the base of a NW-facing slope, in improved pasture with reasonable views to SW, however inhibited by forestry to NW, house to NE, and overlooked by higher ground to SE. This monument is depicted and named ‘Burial Gd. for Children’ on the 1842 edition of the OS 6-inch map. It is named ‘Children’s Burial Ground’ on OS 25-inch and 1920 edition of the OS 6-inch map. It consists of a subrectangular area (24m NW-SE; 16m NE-SW) defined by a high scarp (Wth 2.5m; H 1.1m) to NW and a low scarp (Wth 0.85m; H 0.55m) to SE. The enclosing elements are obscured by dense briars and vegetation to NE, where they abut a farm road (long axis NW-SE). The monument is unenclosed to SW. All sides of the monument are defined by trees. The interior is much disturbed by quarrying in antiquity, wearing and poaching by livestock in recent times and fallen trees/boughs, which have become predominantly covered in briars. A large irregular area (5.5m NW-SE; 7.5m NE-SW; D 0.65m) off-centre to SW is a shallow limestone quarry with numerous rocks around its perimeter. There are traces of probable burial locations identified by low uninscribed markers (H 0.1-0.3m) which are moss-covered limestones for the most part. This field has been de-scrubbed in the recent past and large piles of clearance material are evident in places, including one on the SW bounds of the monument at the NW end. A spring is located at the NW corner of the monument and an outflow channel (long-axis NE-SW) flanks the exterior of the monument at NW.

The following images have been uploaded:
CL027-033----_01.jpg From S. General view of monument.
CL027-033----_02.jpg From W. Small upright stones (to right of 1m rod) representing possible gravemarkers.
CL027-033----_03.jpg From NW. General view of concentration of stones in SE-half of monument.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney, Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 11 December 2018