Enclosure - large enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Located at the edge of a ridge in a low-lying area with a canalised SSW-NNE stream c. 25m to the W and lower ground to the S. Archaeological centre-line testing (04E1052) by G. McLoughlin (2005) at Testing Area 1 of Contract 5 of the M3 motorway (excavations.ie 2004:1194) identified archaeological features that were partially investigated (E003164) within the road-take by S. Reilly in interrupted sessions between September 2006 and April 2009 as Calliaghstown 1 (Reilly et al. 2008) when a large enclosure was recorded at the W end while a ring-ditch and a rectangular enclosure were revealed at the E end of the excavation.

In Area B/C, W of a SSW-NNE field bank and stream, a large ditch (Wth 3.6-6.6m; D 0.8-1.8m) extends WNW-ESE across area, curving N at its E end (exposed L 65m). The ditch appears to be surrounding a slightly raised area to the N. Most of this ditch is outside the excavated area but it is not known what the nature of the large enclosure is, although it may be a large rath or part of a field system. Three phases are noted in the ditch. A water-logged humus-rich basal fill had evidence of slippage, probably from an original bank along its N side. A deposit with hazel charcoal inclusions produced a C14 date of 662-869 cal. AD (Beta 247130). After this the ditch seemed to silt over a considerable time and black-glazed earthenware was in its upper fill of brown loamy clay with orange and charcoal inclusions that formed a final closing layer throughout its length. Few stratigraphic relationships could be established, but a NNE-SSW gully (Wth 1.5m; D 0.84m; exposed L 10m) and a pit (dims 2.9m x 1.6m; D 0.66m) originating at the bend of the large ditch could pre-date it. A parallel drain (Wth 1.8m; D 0.48m) c. 4m to the E also begins at the main drain. A large drainage ditch (Wth 4.2m; D 1.16m) extends SW (exposed L 30m) from the same bend in the primary ditch. This was filled with silty clays and stones and was re-cut possibly twice but it seems to have been open as long as the principal ditch. A late activity associated with this ditch is the digging of a pit (dims 2.2m x 0.8m; D 1.3m) through its fill, probably as a well. Two NNE-SSW drains (Wth 1-1.9m D 0.12-0.7m; L c. 20m) placed c. 4m apart at the W edge of the excavation may have been separated by a field bank. Many fragmentary furrows N of the main ditch follow the same alignment but stop short 2-8m from the main ditch. After the final closing of this ditch spreads with metal slag extended over the final fill of the main ditch. (Reilly et al. 2008, 6-10)

See the attached plans from Reilly et al. (2008, figs 7, 10)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 4 March 2022

References

McLoughlin, G. 2005 M3 Clonee-North of Kells; Contract 5, Kells to North of Kells. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 1 in Calliaghstown, County Meath. Licence: 04E1052. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy

Reilly, S., Kinsella, J. and V. Ginn 2008 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 5, Kells to North of Kells. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Calliaghstown 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003164. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services