Burial ground

The National Monuments Service's description

The rath, together with its associated annexes and activities, was probably defunct by the end of the twelfth century and the commencement of Anglo-Norman settlement, but a new and unrelated monument - an enclosed burial ground - was established much later, probably in the seventeenth century, and a house (ME025-096010-) is closely associated with it. A subrectangular enclosure (dims 16-37m N-S; 33m E-W) defined by a continuous fosse in four sections was created partly over the rath but re-using some of the ditches of the annexes which might still have been visible. It has a single causeway entrance (Wth 4m) at the centre of the W side with the expanded terminals of the ditches on either side. A plough coulter was found in the upper fill of the ditch at one point and a complete cow’s skull was in a lower layer of the ditch on the SE side.

Thirty eight burials were uncovered, largely in the N part of the enclosure. One grave-cut was partially stone-lined but the remainder were shallow cuts, some of which cut earlier features. A cluster of seventeen graves occupies the highest ground inside the NW angle of the enclosure while another cluster of sixteen at the E angle were seriously disturbed by the mapped N-S avenue and drain. Some pits containing disarticulated remains are probably from the time when the avenue was established, and some of the grave-cuts impinge on each other. An osteological report is not yet available but women, men, juveniles and infants were present, and a silver ring with a turquoise stone setting suggests a post-medieval context for the burials. (McGlade 2017, vol. 1, 57-61, 104-08)

A Lady Dowdall of Athlumney castle (ME025-032002-) had endowed a Roman Catholic chapel at Alexander Reid or Bailis that functioned probably until sometime after 1691 when a new owner named Ecklin closed it (Cogan 1867, vol. 2, 242). It may have been associated with the burial ground, although no certain remains of a chapel have been identified in the excavation. Structure 4 is a subcircular vernacular house (int. dims 3.6m x 3m) defined by mud walls that had a stone base. The foundation (D c. 0.5m) was cut into the inner W annexe of the rath and was c. 14m W of the entrance to the burial ground but was approached by its own sunken path (L 20m plus) from the W. The floor was half metalled and a cow’s skull was buried under an unmetalled part close to the likely entrance at NW while a second cow’s skull was built into the wall at S. The burial ground did not endure long and c. 1838 when Sion House with its attendant landscaping was established by John Charles and Eliza Metge (See this web-page accessed on 20/07/2022: http://www.navanhistory.ie/index.php?page=sion-house ) no awareness of the rath or the burial ground was demonstrated. (McGlade 2017, vol. 1, 57-64,108-112)

See the attached plans from McGlade (2017, vol. 1 P 57, 60)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 19 April, 2023

Cogan, Rev. A. 1862-70 Ecclesiastical history of the diocese of Meath: ancient and modern. 3 vols, Dublin, John Fowler, Joseph Dollard
McGlade, S. 2017 Preliminary Excavation Report, Site D, Alexander Reid, Navan. Licence: 16E0449. Unpublished report, 2 vols Archaeology Plan