Road - class 1 togher

The National Monuments Service's description

This togher (L 420m; Wth 2.2m), generally orientated E-W, was visible across 28 fields. The remains were largely on the field surface and had been milled. They were mostly evident as a band of wood chips and degraded timbers with some displaced timbers in the drains. At one point they were visible in the drain face at a depth of 0.28m (Dunne 1999, 40, 99DD0001A-Y). The togher may still be intact under the milled surface in other areas but this was not clear. It was constructed of quite thin oak planks and split timbers (L 1.9m max.; Wth 0.10-0.30m; T 0.02-0.10m), roundwood (diam. 0.07-0.08m), brushwood (diam. 0.01-0.055m) and twigs. Most of the elements were aligned longitudinally but many split timbers, roundwood and brushwood transverses were also in evidence. Longitudinal planks were laid side-by-side and covered by a dense brushwood layer. Occasional pegs, including a squared example, were present. Excavation revealed the remains to be composed of oak-split planks laid longitudinally and supported by transverse split planks and roundwood held in place by pegs (Dunne 2002a, 203).

Compiled by: Mary Tunney based on data supplied by Jane Whitaker, Archaeological Development Services.

Date of upload: 26 August 2011