Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Well
Ballybin (ratoath By., Cookstown Par.), County Meath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Ballybin (ratoath By., Cookstown Par.)
- County
- Meath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.50934, -6.42091
- SMR number
- ME045-037001-
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
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Located on a slight N-facing slope in a gently undulating landscape extending into a wet hollow at N. A geophysical survey (02R0051) by GBS Prospection of Area 22 ahead of a proposed N2 bypass for Ashbourne identified potential archaeological features in the vicinity of a rath (ME045-002----). Archaeological features were identified in testing (03E1327) by D. Bonner in 2003 and these were excavated from mid-April to mid-June 2004 within the road-take by L. McGowan (2009) under the same licence (excavations.ie 2004:1269). The testing and excavation revealed that many of the potential features were natural hollows but two waterholes or wells were excavated, while an industrial kiln and its associated pits was only partially excavated.
An oval waterhole (dims 2.72m; 2.1m) that had been dug down to the fractured limestone bedrock (D 1.24m) had 14 separate fills. A sloping ramp (Wth c. 0.6m) descended around the side of the well W-N-E to allow access to the water. The primary fill was a deliberate backfill, perhaps with slippage, and the upper fills were silts interleaved with episodes of collapse. No artefacts were recovered but a charcoal sample from the primary fill produced a C14 date of 1210-910 cal. BC. (McGowan 2009, 15-16)
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 21 December 2021
References
McGowan, L. 2009 N2 Finglas-Ashbourne Road Scheme: Report on Archaeological Excavation of Site 22, Killegland and Ballybin, County Meath. Licence: 03E1327. Unpublished report, CRDS
Nearby in the register
- Wellunder 1 mi
- Industrial siteunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Barrow - ditch barrowunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.