Burial

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a slight ridge with the NW-SE Athboy River c. 150m to the SW, and c. 45m SE of the walled town of Athboy. Archaeological excavation (08E0865) uncovered nine burials dating c. 1440-1660 AD and disarticulated bone representing 14 individuals. A burnt spread and three small pits a the W base of the ridge produced a few lithics and C14 dates of 2880-2750 cal BC and 2147-2016 cal BC, but the later burials were spread over an extensive area of the ridge (dims c. 30m NE-SW; c. 7-10m NW-SE), although on the NE side of a NW-SE boundary ditch with lower wet ground to the SW. The intact interments were generally extended E-W in groupings of four, three and two individuals, and some were made in medieval quarry pits that had been re-used to dry cereal grains. The complete burials comprised of two males, three females, one adolescent and three children, and all suffered from debilitating conditions associated with poor health and nutrition. (Shine 2011; Shine and Travers 2012)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 22 May 2015

References

Shine, D. 2011 Townparks, Athboy: medieval ditches and quarrying; post-medieval ditches and burials. In I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2008: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 276-7, No. 938. Dublin, Wordwell

Shine, D. and Travers, C. 2012 Unmarked medieval and post-medieval burial grounds: a time to reconsider? Results of excavations from a burial ground in Athboy, Co. Meath. Ríocht na Mídhe, 23, 31-45.