Burial ground

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on the SE-facing slope of a NW-SE spur in a field known as Crickeens (Cnoiceen, little hill). Three extended inhumations and the curve E-S of a wide fosse (Wth 2.5m) were uncovered during soil stripping (03E1300) in advance of an extensive housing development (Wallace 2003), but much of the burial ground extended under an existing farmyard to the NW. The burial ground was remarkably well preserved beneath these buildings, which were only built in the twentieth century, and excavation (03E1781) continued once they were removed. However, excavation ceased in July and the burial ground is now preserved under introduced soil in an open area within the redesigned Steeplechase estate. The burials date to the first millennium AD. (Wallace 2007)

By this time 56 inhumations had been recorded, largely from the SE quadrant where they were concentrated. There were no clear grave-cuts or slab-lined graves but most of the remains were aligned roughly W-E with the heads at the W. There were at least three levels of burial, and most were recovered from the topmost. Some flexed burials were present, and some had simple grave-goods such as a knife, a copper neck-ring, or metal fragments. The remains represented 3 infants, 12 juveniles 3 adolescents and 29 adults. The burials are within an enclosure (int. diam. 40m) defined by a wide ditch (Wth of top 2.5m). There was no evidence of a bank or of any features in the interior apart from the burials.

A large quantity of animal bone was recovered from the enclosure ditch as well as fragments of bone pins, a blue glass bead, portion of an amber bead and fragments of lignite bracelets. Most artefacts were recovered from the top of the fosse and included bone tools, a spindle whorl, two fragments of a bone comb, a penannular broch and fragments of metal. There may have been a metal-working area just to the W ad a lead ingot and fragments of a crucible were found here. Some of the ditches of the field system (ME044-044006-) appear to attach to the fosse of the enclosure but one cuts N-S through the E part of the interior. From the associated artefacts the burial ground can be dated roughly from the fifth to the ninth centuries. The ring-ditches (ME044-044004-; ME044-044005-) are c. 80m to the SE and the enclosure (ME044-044001-) is c. 40m to the NW. (Wallace 2003, 2006a, 2006b, 2007, 2008)

The monument is now preserved in the landscaped open area of the completed development under introduced soil, and a circular cobbled area marks the centre of the burial ground. A Greek or equal-armed cross in bronze with C-shaped terminals and a roundel with a triskle or three-lined feature at the crux is set in a granite stone also in the form of a Greek cross at the centre of the roundel. There are four entrances to the roundel, and bronze plaques commemorate in Irish and English the burial ground on the granite piers on either side of the S entrance to the roundel. The commemoration was designed and installed by Bríd Ní Rinn.

References

Wallace, A. 2003 Report on Phase 1 of Archaeological Monitoring of Proposed Residential Development, Dunshaughlin Road, Ratoath, Co. Meath. Licence No. 03E1300. Unpublished report, Arch-Tech

Wallace, A. 2006a 1452. Licence: 03E1300. Ratoath: Burnt spread, ring-ditch, possible field system and cemetery enclosure. In I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2003: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 386-7. Bray, Wordwell

Wallace, A. 2007 1454. Licence: 03E1781. Ratoath: Multi-phase. In I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2004: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 338-9. Dublin, Wordwell

Wallace, A. 2008 Archaeological Excavations and Discoveries in Ratoath in 2004. In Ratoath Heritage Group 2008, 58-63.

Ratoath Heritage Group 2008 Ratoath: past and present. Ratoath, Linden Publishing Services

Wallace, A. 2006b 1454. Licence: 03E1781. Ratoath: Two ring-ditches, burnt pits, kilns, possible field system. In I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2003: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 387-8. Bray, Wordwell