Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Charcoal-making site
Hardwood, County Meath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Hardwood
- County
- Meath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.44649, -7.07668
- SMR number
- ME046-025----
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
Situated in a gently undulating landscape. An area of sub-surface archaeological features was identified by Ian Russell in centre-line testing (02E0108) for the M4 Dublin to Galway motorway and set aside as Hardwood 2. Excavation (02E1140) revealed one trapezoidal (dims 1.7m x 0.9-1.5m; D 0.2m), one circular (diam. c. 1.45m; D 012m) and three rectangular (dims 1.8m x 0.9m; D 0.18m: 2.2m x 1.2m; D c. 0.1m: 2.4m x 1.4m; D 0.25m) pits cut into the subsoil. They contained large proportions of charcoal and the surrounding clay was oxidized leading to their interpretation as charcoal-making pits and hearths. Only one stray piece of flint was found and a charcoal sample produced a radiocarbon date of Cal AD 1020-1210, but the context is not recorded. (Murphy 2004, 7)
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 13 August 2019
References
Murphy, D. 2004 Hardwood 2. in Carlin, N., Clarke, L., and Fintan Walsh (eds) 2008 The Archaeology of Life and Death in the Boyne Floodplain: the linear landscape of the M4, Kinegad – Enfield - Kilcock motorway. NRA Scheme Monographs 2, vol. 2.
Nearby in the register
- Boundary moundunder 1 mi
- Boundary moundunder 1 mi
- Charcoal-making siteunder 1 mi
- Metalworking siteunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.