Cist

The National Monuments Service's description

In undulating rocky pasture. This short cist was found in the centre of a mound barrow (SL040-15501-), c. 0.3m below the surface and c. 4.5m from a pit-burial (SL040-15502-). It was discovered in 1970 during sand extraction and investigated by E. Rynne (Raftery 1973, 186-7). The cist seemed to have been originally polygonal in plan (L 0.6m; Wth 0.45m; D 0.43m) with four of the sides composed of single slabs (T 3.5-8cm) and the fifth of drystone-walling, floored by a single slab and covered by two capstones, one on top of the other. The spaces between the tops of the sides and the lower capstone were filled with small flat stones. The cremated remains of an adult were found beside a decorated bowl food vessel (H 14.3cm; ext. rim diam. 16cm; int. rim diam. 13.5cm) which stood mouth upwards in one corner. A scatter of cremated bone was recovered from amongst stones around the N side of the capstones. Fragments of charcoal including oak and hazel were found under the floor slab. The food vessel (see photograph in M. A. Timoney 2002c, 102) is now in the National Museum of Ireland. (Waddell 1990, 131-2; Ó Ríordáin and Waddell 1993, 130)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005).

Date of upload: 18 January 2008