Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Field system
Clonee (dunboyne By.), County Meath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Clonee (dunboyne By.)
- County
- Meath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.40719, -6.44419
- SMR number
- ME051-044----
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 1799 "Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Archaeological testing (04E1383) by A. Hayden on a large development site of about 8 hectares (c. 20 acres) uncovered evidence of furrows at its N limit, and more complex evidence of medieval fields at its SW edge (Hayden 2004). Further excavation under the same licence (Hayden 2005) recorded a NE-SW boundary ditch with furrows relating to it on the NW side where a rectangular stone-walled structure (ME051-044001-) and kiln (ME051-044002-) pre-dated the furrows. South-west of the boundary a drainage ditch extended SW, and the remains of a small sod-walled structure (ME051-044003-) survived (excavations.ie 2004:1207).
The boundary was visible as a relict surface feature further NE but at SW it had no surface trace. Excavation revealed a ditch (Wth of top 5m; max. D 1.4m) filled with silts and loams and containing medieval pottery. It originated at an amorphous wet boggy hollow (D c. 0.5m) at SW, and a ditch (Wth 3-4m; max. D 1.1m) bifurcating into two drains (Wth 1-1.2m; max. D 0.4m) extended from this to the SW. North-west of the boundary there was evidence of two cultivation systems, both of which were later than the building and kiln. The earlier consisted of lazy-bed trenches (max. Wth 0.2m; max. D 0.1m) placed c. 2-3m apart and aligned E-W. The second system comprised furrows (Wth 0.2-0.5m; D 0.1-0.3m) placed closer together and aligned NW-SE. These were within a plot (dims 30m NE-SW; 26m plus NW-SE) bounded by the NE-SW boundary drain at SE, by a double drain (Wth 1.8-2m; max. D 0.4m) at NE, and a single gully (Wth c. 1m; D 0.3-0.5m) at SW. (Hayden 2005, 2-5, 9)
See the attached plan from Hayden (2005, fig. 3)
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 9 November 2021
References
Hayden, A. 2004 Archaeological Assessment of a Proposed Development at Clonee, Co. Meath. Licence: 04E1383. Unpublished report, Alan Hayden Archaeological Projects
Hayden, A. 2005 Archaeological Excavation of Part of a Proposed Development Site at Clonee, Co. Meath. Licence: 04E1388 ext. Unpublished report, Alan Hayden Archaeological Projects
Nearby in the register
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.