Slab-lined burial

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on the summit of a NE-SW ridge/esker, skirted at W-N-SE by the Belladoan River. This is one of three stone-lined graves (MA021-077001-; MA021-077002-; MA021-077003-) found at approximately this location in the 1930’s during quarrying for sand at the NW end of an esker (pers. comm. Micheal Carroll, Belladoan, June 2016). This grave and another (MA021-077002-) were uncovered in 1931 and recorded by Morris (1932, 191-200). They were found at a depth of c. 0.3m below the surface, lay parallel to each other, c. 3m apart, and were aligned E−W. Both graves were constructed of thin slabs of ‘greenstone’, a stone type not common in the vicinity. This grave (L c. 1.8m; Wth 0.3-0.4m; D. c. 0.3m) had three upright slabs on the long N and S sides, and a single upright slab closing the W end. There was no closing slab at the E end. It was roofed with two large slabs. The floor was unpaved. The grave contained an extended male skeleton, with head to the W. No grave goods were found. The skeleton was in good condition apart from the foot bones, which had decayed. The bones were removed and stored in UCG. In the 1990’s, a bone sample from the skeleton was submitted for radiocarbon analysis and produced the following date, suggesting a late Iron Age or Early Medieval date: OxA-3226 1590±90, 1 sigma = AD382-575, 2 sigma = AD256-640 (Hedges et al. 1993). The second grave (MA021-077002-) was empty. The third grave (MA021-077003-), which contained a skeleton, was uncovered during quarrying in 1938, at a distance of c. 6m from the other two (NMI Topographical Files). No trace of the graves survives; at the location there are old quarry pits, several meters in diameter, and c. 2m deep, engulfed in overgrowth.

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 1 July 2016

References

Morris, H. 1932 The Belladooan skeleton. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 62, 191-200.