Cistern

The National Monuments Service's description

In Area 1 two wells or cisterns are associated with the houses, and the large pit pre-dating them might also have served as a cistern. A large pit (dims 4.7m x 2.8m; D 1.8m) was c. 20m SE of House 2 and at the NW edge of an area with furrows. It had stepped sides and marl layers in the base beneath silts. It was filled with silts and clays with a stone dump at one point, and both glazed and unglazed medieval wares were recovered from it. A rough stone paving was provided at the S edge to provide firmer access, but a sample from the bottom returned a modern date of 1650-1950 cal. AD (Beta 247106). A second well (diam. 1.75m; D 0.97m) with vertical sides was 7m to the NW. This well had a stone lining around the sides of the base and it was truncated by a drain. This well was filled with brown and grey silty layers. Very little organic material was recovered from either well. (Martin 2009, 23-25)
In Area 2, at least 60m SW of the houses, three large pits are interpreted as cisterns or water-holes. One (diam. 3.9-4.1m; D 0.7m) had a flat base and vertical sides and cut a large ditch. It was re-cut as a smaller feature (dims 2.5m x 2m; D 0.75m) with a metalled edge and the earlier phase cut a NE-SW drain. Two other cisterns (dims 4.5m x 2.33m; D 1.56m: dims 3.7m x 2.4m; D 0.9m) were close together, with metalling between them while the shallower one was fed by two ditches approaching from the NW and SW. The ditch from the NW had two sumps in its base. A sample of charred wheat from the base of the deeper cistern provided a C14 date of 1060-1270 cal. AD (Beta 247107). (Martin 2009, 36-7)

See the attached site plan from Martin (2009, fig. 10)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 12 April, 2023

Fairburn, N. 2004 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 7, Boyerstown, County Meath. Licence: 04E0580. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services
Martin, K. 2009 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Boyerstown 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003105. Final Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services