Burial

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the crest of the S-facing slope of a broad hill, c. 240m NW of the tower house (ME049-002----) and c. 220m N of the medieval excavated features (ME049-035----). Archaeological testing (06E1231) by A. Collins (2008, 18) in advance of the realignment of a N-S section of the R158 road identified archaeological deposits extending over a narrow strip (dims 100m N-S; 17m E-W) on the E side of the existing road that were subsequently excavated (07E0296) as Site 10 by E. Larsson (excavations.ie 2007:1313). Lithics of a Neolithic character and some pits of later prehistoric date are present, while two cereal-drying kilns were also recorded in this era. Two groups of burials, dating to the early medieval and the post-medieval periods were excavated as well as a N-W ditch that is probably an earlier iteration of the existing road bank and ditch. (Larsson 2009)

A group of 17 inhumations was excavated in a fairly confined area (dims c. 9m N-S; 7m plus E-W) but at least three graves extended E beyond the excavated area. The inhumations were extended in a supine posture and oriented W-E or WNW-ESE with the heads at W. The grave-cuts generally respect each other, and the one grave aligned NW-SE was placed neatly between other graves. They formed two rows placed c. 2-5m apart, with seven graves in the W row and four, on a slightly different alignment, in the E. Three graves were fitted in at the S end of the E row, but these graves, although on markedly different alignments, do not infringe other burials. Only one of the graves had a partial stone lining, but two others had traces of wood beneath the human remains. A late medieval burial was inserted through a grave in the E row. Of the identifiable remains four are male and six are female. The age range is generally 15 to 40 years, with one child of less than four and one adult in the 35-49 age-bracket. One grave contained two young adults, one placed over the other. The lower burial lacked the skull, but three crania and other disarticulated bones representing at least four individuals were in the grave-cut. Three of the burials returned C14 dates within the range of 410-650 cal. AD. (ibid. 27-40; Appendix 5)

See the attached plan from Larsson (2009, fig. 27; N at top)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 29 June 2021

References

Collins, A. 2008 Archaeological Testing Report. R158 Summerhill to Kilcock Road Realignment in County Meath. Licence: 06E1231. Unpublished report, CRDS

Larsson, E. 2009 R158 Realignment Scheme, Summerhill to Kilcock Road Improvement Scheme. Final Report Licence: 07E0296, Site 10 – Garadice, Co. Meath. Unpublished report, CRDS