Building

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a shelf excavated into a gentle SW-facing slope. Archaeological testing (04E0418) by J. Dempsey of Testing Area 4, Contract 2, prior to the construction of the M3 motorway identified a cobbled surface (Dempsey 2004, 22-3). The area was excavated (E003067) intermittently by S. Rathbone as Trevet 1 (excavations.ie 2006:1646) between November 2005 and December 2006 when a section of road leading to buildings in a cobbled area were recorded. There was also evidence of a prehistoric burnt mound at the N edge of the excavated area.

The road (Wth c. 5m) ran W-E and terminated at the entrance to a large building (ext. dims c. 20m N-S; c. 6m E-W), with a possible E-W return (ext. dims c. 9m E-W; c. 6m N-S) extending E from the N end. The building is defined by the slight remains of stone walls, never more than one course high that survived as inner or outer faces at SW, W and possibly at E. A stone facing (L 6.5m plus) survives at the base of a slight slope at S and W, creating a wall (Wth c. 1m) with a rubble core, but there is no foundation trench although the NE corner of the building is dug into the natural slope. The outer face of the S wall extended down the inner edge of a ditch here. A pit (diam. 0.9m; D 0.4m) close to the line of the E wall and filled with a silty clay produced 82 sherds of medieval pottery. Towards the S end the W wall turns inwards to an entrance (Wth c. 1.2m) that is reached by a paved path around the S end of the building or the N end of an L-shaped ditch (Wth c. 2m) that surrounds the SW angle of the building. The building had no internal hearths or post-holes and it was probably a narrow, single storey, cruck-built structure with cob walls on low stone bases. The remains are slight and the stratigraphy thin, and other interpretations of the meagre walls are possible; the E return could be a separate structure. (Rathbone 2009, 2-5)

East of the building a large area (dims c. 26m N-S; 16m plus E-W) extending E outside the excavated area had three identifiable styles of cobbling, which are all probably contemporary with each other and the building. Four small pits with in situ burning cut through the cobbling and are probably hearths. A possible well (diam. 1m), 2m E of the building, was cut by a seventeenth century drain and its relationship with the cobbled surface could not be established. A N-S ditch (L 16.6m plus; Wth 0.72m; D 0.38m) c. 13m E of the N-S building was probably a contemporary drain. (Rathbone 2009, 5-6)

The entire area was covered by a thin deposit of compacted clay that could be the remains of the cob walls of the buildings mixed with midden material. It produced almost 2000 artefacts, largely pottery sherds, and over 3000 sherds were recovered in total. This comprised Leinster cooking ware and locally produced wheel-thrown wares. There were also fine wares dating from the late twelfth to the fourteenth centuries. The local wares may have been produced in the vicinity. Metal finds included a cruciform strap-end, metal knives and metal cauldron-legs. The small amount of animal bone represented at least three cattle, three sheep/goat, three pigs, two horses and one dog. (Rathbone 2009, 6-7)

See the attached plans from Rathbone (2009, figs 7, 9)
_1 Site plan;
_2 Interpretive plan;

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 20 April, 2022

References

Rathbone, S. 2009 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Trevet 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003067. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

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