Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

In Area A the construction of Enclosure 3 initiates Phase 2 in the mid-seventh century. This is a large subrectangular area (dims c. 45m E-W; c. 42m N-S) defined on the N side by a U-shaped ditch (Wth 1.95m; D 1.1m), to which only three deposits could be assigned. Recovered artefacts include a bone awl, a hone stone, and a gaming board of limestone that is incised with thirteen full squares. There were plenty of animal bones and the articulated skeleton of a chicken returned a radiocarbon date of 647-775 cal. AD (BETA 219002). This ditch was re-cut and a bone from the articulated skeleton of a pig yielded a date of 580-765 cal. AD (BETA 219005). Bone fragments of pins or needles were recovered from this phase as well as iron knives. On the SE side the enclosure was formed by a ditch (Wth of top 1.6m; D 1m) to which only six, unproductive layers are assigned. It was re-cut once with four equally unproductive deposits. At SW the ditch (L 17m; Wth 2m; D 1m) was largely removed by a modern quarry, and only four unproductive layers are associated with it.

The entire enclosure was provided with a new fosse that enclosed a slightly larger area (dims 52m E-W; 42m N-S) in Phase 2C. At N a ditch (L 45m; Wth 2.9m; D 1m) was placed slightly inside the line of the original. Its nine deposits had a large quantity of bones, but an iron knife and another unidentified iron object were the only artefacts apart from some prehistoric flints. On the S side the ditch (L 38m; Wth 3m; D 0.9m) removed most of the earlier ditches here but its four fills produced a large amount of animal bone as well as antler and bone pins and points, and antler stamps. A simple bowl lamp and an iron strike-a-light were also recovered. There was one piece of silver off-cut and a copper-alloy binding strip. A spread of humus with charcoal produced bone pins or needles and a C14 date of 684-887 cal. AD (BETA 229293), but no structures can be associated with the enclosure and nor has an entrance been identified. A ditch (L 20m; Wth 1.4-2.2m; D 1.25m) extended S from the S ditch of Enclosure 3 but does not constitute an enclosure. It produced a large quantity of animal bones, especially cattle skulls. Fragments of bone double-sided comb were also recovered from it. (O’Hara 2009, 12-15, 17; 2009a)

True location: ITM (695744, 753918)

See the attached plans from O'Hara (2009, figs 9, 45, 47)
_2 Site plan;
_4 Phase 2;
_5 Phase 3;

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 25 April 2022

O’Hara, R. 2009 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Roestown 2, Co. Meath. Licence: E003055. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

O’Hara, R. 2009a Early Medieval Settlement at Roestown 2. In Deevy, M. and Donald Murphy 2009 Places Along the Way, 57-82. NRA Scheme Monographs: 5.