Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Well
Merrywell (Ratoath By.), County Meath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Merrywell (Ratoath By.)
- County
- Meath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.50063, -6.59376
- SMR number
- ME044-068001-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1799 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1830 · V.3:11-15:XV. Britisches Reich. C. Kon: Ireland. a. Prov: Leinster. Counties: 1-12 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Situated on a slight S-facing slope. Archaeological centre-line testing (04E0483) by T. O’Neill of Testing Area 21, Contract 1, prior to the construction of the M3 motorway and associated works (excavations.ie: 2004:1228) identified archaeological material, which was subsequently excavated (E003051) by A. O’Connell as Merrywell 1 in Knockmark parish between August and October 2005 (excavations.ie 2005:AD13). A medieval field system (ME044-068002-) defined by boundary ditches and gullies is associated with this well, but a prehistoric charcoal-making pit (ME044-068003-) is also within the excavated area.
The well (diam. c. 2.15m; D 1.5m) is straight-sided and flat-bottomed, and had two principal fills. The primary fill, a blue-grey silty clay, contained animal bones together with the waterlogged seeds of a wide range of brambles and weeds indicative of a mixed deciduous woodland with scrub. There were also insect and mollusc remains together with bird bones. Wooden dowels, a wooden lathe-turned bowl, and medieval pottery sherds of Dublin-type coarseware were in the basal layer, but the pottery must be intrusive as a sample of hazel from this fill produced a C14 date of 657-862 cal. AD. This was below a similar layer (T 0.65m) with rounded stones and some charcoal flecks that contained similar pottery but also had a wooden yoke. The layer above this (T 0.72m) is a grey silty clay with stones which spills into a boundary ditch (Wth c. 2.6m; D c. 1.2m) that extends off to the SE, accompanied by a slighter, post-medieval gully (Wth 1.65m; D 0.38m) 3m to the SW. Further S a similar post-medieval gully diverges from the medieval ditch on the E side, the gap widening as it proceeds S. (O'Connell and Ginn 2009)
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 10 December 2021
O’Connell & V. Ginn 2009 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 1 Clonee – Dunshaughlin. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Merrywell 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003051. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services
O’Neill, T. 2004 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 1, Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 21, Merrywell, County Meath. Licence: 04E0483. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services
Nearby in the register
- Field systemunder 1 mi
- Charcoal-making siteunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Barrow - mound barrowunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.