Burial

The National Monuments Service's description

Early medieval human burials uncovered in archaeological monitoring (09E0457) of mechanical trench excavations for a gas pipeline on Church Lane, 12m E of the E wall of the chancel of St Canice's Cathedral, within the former extent of the medieval graveyard (KK019-026171-) associated with St Canices’s Cathedral (KK019-026029-). Three in-situ adult (sex unknown) articulated human burials, orientated E-W with their heads to the W, were recorded, and radiocarbon dated to the mid-7th – mid-10th century: Burial 1 AD 730-940; Burial 2 AD 690-890; Burial 3 AD 660-780. An antler tine offcut recovered near to the burials was radiocarbon dated to AD 900-1020. Disarticulated human bone was also recorded. The burials were fully excavated from the service trench but what remained in the trench sections was left in situ. It is clear from the amount of disarticulated human bone found in the excavation and in a separately monitored service trench (04E1535) 25m to the S that further interments are likely to be present along Church Lane (Ó Drisceoil 2004, unpublished).

Compiled by: Cóilín Ó Drisceoil

Date of upload: 5 November 2020

References

Ó Drisceoil, C. 2004 Archaeological monitoring: gas pipe trench Church Lane, Kilkenny, licence 04E1535. Unpublished report. Kilkenny Archaeology.