Flat cemetery

The National Monuments Service's description

In a bend of the Dinin river, with another stream flowing roughly N-S into the river along the E side. In flat terrain, sloping gently NW-N-NE towards the Dinin river, in grassland. In 1848 several large flat-stones were found covering cists during the ploughing of a field near Uskerty Bridge (Anon. 1849-51, 29). According to the source (ibid.), 'the cists lay along the ridge of a gravelly elevation or ridge in the surface of the field, at a very small depth under the surface. The dimensions varied from four feet six [1.36m] by eighteen inches [0.47m]: the sides were formed by flags placed on edge. Some of the cists were flagged also at bottom - others not. Two of those examined contained calcined human bones mixed with earth; a third besides the calcined remains which lay at the bottom, enclosed the unburned bones of a young child. ..The cist being only thirty inches [0.78m] long, and twelve [0.31m] wide, could not have held the body of the child in a recumbent position, but yet the entire skeleton would seem to have been deposited therein. No implement or ornament was discovered...The number of cists examined by him only amounted to three, they lay close together although not parallel; but many others had been removed in the course of tillage. In 1949 another cist (KK011-035----) was uncovered on the river bank. There is no visible trace of this cemetery at ground level.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 30 January 2019

References

Anon. 1849-51 Sepulchral remains. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 1, 26-9.