Hearth

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a fairly level landscape. Archaeological testing (04E0418) by J. Dempsey of Testing Area 4, Contract 2, prior to the construction of the M3 motorway identified a spread of charcoal (Dempsey 2004, 19). The area was fully excavated (E003066) by M. Mossop as Clowanstown 3 (excavations.ie 2006:1535) in August 2006 when it proved to be two hearths placed c. 50m apart.

This E hearth (0.89m x 0.43m; D 0.15m) did not have a stone boundary and consisted of a friable orange/brown clayey silt with occasional pieces of charcoal beneath a dark grey charcoal-stained clayey silt with lenses of brownish-orange clay, small stones and flecks of charcoal. The charred material was dominated by oats and barley. No artefacts were recovered but a sample of barley provided a C14 date of 1046-1267 cal. AD (BETA 241295). (Mossop and Ruddle 2008, 2-3)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 20 April, 2022

References

Dempsey, J. 2004 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Report on the Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 4, Clowanstown, Co. Meath. Licence: 04E0418. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

Mossop, M. & Ruddle, E. 2008 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Clowanstown 3, Co. Meath. Licence: E003066. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services