Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Field system
Cappakeel, County Laois, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Cappakeel
- County
- Laois
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- NULL
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.08755, -7.17504
- SMR number
- LA009-051----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
New monument uncovered during excavation by Ros O Maolduin under licence number 03E0633 in advance of the M7 Heath-Mayfield motorway scheme.
The excavation at site F at Cappakeel townland revealed a prehistoric ring-ditch (LA009-050), a linear ditch of medieval date and a series of charcoal production pits (LA009-052). The ring-ditch was relatively small, with an internal diameter of 3.5m. It showed no evidence of any entrance but was disturbed on the NW side by a linear medieval ditch. The burnt deposits that filled the ditch indicate at least two phases of deposition. The linear medieval ditch was orientated on a NE-SW axis, It produced a crutch-headed stirrup-looped ring pin and a rotary grinding stone. The ring pin may date from approx. 1000-1050 AD. Coupled with the finds the linear ditch suggests the existence of a contemporaneous settlement in the vicinity. The ditch may be part of a medieval field system beside an enclosure similar to those recently discovered at Killickaweeny, Co. Kildare, and Balriggan, Co. Louth (Bennett 2006, 289).
Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload: 17 December 2007
Nearby in the register
- Charcoal-making siteunder 1 mi
- Ring-ditchunder 1 mi
- Charcoal-making siteunder 1 mi
- Road - road/trackwayunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.