Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Flat cemetery
Emper, County Westmeath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Emper
- County
- Westmeath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.59954, -7.57194
- SMR number
- WM010-009----
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 on flat pasture land with ringfort (WM010-008----) marked on OS maps as ‘Rathduff’ containing a souterrain (WM010-008001-) decorated with a panel of rock art (WM010-008002-) immediately to NW. No surface remains visible of prehistoric flat cemetery (Waddell 1970, 134). In 1938 the site was described as following; ‘in a piece of tillage ground just beside the fort (WM010-008----) over a dozen stone lined cists have been dug up from time to time, but nothing was found except a few bones and traces of ashes. The cists were about two feet (0.6m) below the surface of the field, and I am told that other stone slabs are located deeper down and that they remain undisturbed’ (Weir 1938, 146-7). No monument indicated in this area on the 1914 ed. OS 6-inch map.
Compiled by: Frank Coyne and Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload: 1 November 2016
References
Weir, H. 1938 Fort at Emper, Co. Westmeath. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 68, 146-7.
Waddell, J. 1970 Irish Bronze Age cists, a survey. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 100, 91-139.
Nearby in the register
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Souterrainunder 1 mi
- Rock artunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.