Cistern

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight N-facing slope. Archaeological centre-line testing (04E0584) by N. Fairburn at Testing Area 11 of Contract 3 in advance of the M3 motorway identified burnt mound material (excavations.ie 2004:1158) at two places that were designated Ardbraccan 1A and 1B and were fully resolved (E003115) by M. Mossop (2008) over three weeks in August 2006 (excavations.ie 2006:1486). In Area 1A (dims 40m E-W; 37m N-) two fulachta fia and a large cistern or well were recorded.
The cistern was a large oval pit (dims 8.5m E-W; 4.8m N-S; max. D 1.76m) accessed by steps from the W and had two sumps, at the centre (diam. 2.5m) and at the extreme E edge. The central sump had a collection of cattle and sheep bones at the bottom as well as unburnt seeds sealed by a dark grey clay. A sample of charred fruit wood from the sealing layer provided a C14 date of 1193-922 cal. BC (BETA 247112). The E sump (dims 3.2m x 2.8m; D 1.68m) was flat-bottomed and filled with an organic brown-grey silty clay with sizable pieces of roundwood and organic matter beneath layers with burnt mound material. (Mossop and Ruddle 2009, 2-5)

See the attached plan of the cistern from Mossop and Ruddle (2009, fig. 8)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 11 April, 2023

Fairburn, N. 2004 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 11, Ardbraccan, County Meath. Licence: 04E0584. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services
Mossop, M. and E. Ruddle 2009 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Ardbraccan 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003115. Final Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services 70.94m OD ITM true B (683032, 766605)