Barrow - bowl-barrow

The National Monuments Service's description

Surveyed in 2012 and described by McGuinness (2012, 28) as following: ‘Large, steep-sided, roughly circular mound (Diam. 21.5m N-S x 20.5m E-W) with well-defined edges at base and at junction between sides and upper surface. Upper surface of mound was apparently flat-topped originally (Diam. 12m N-S x 12.8m E-W) but centre has been hollowed out irregularly to a depth of up to 0.75m, possibly by people attempting to find a burial. Mound is composed of earth and stone, visible where animals have worn away parts of the edge. Surrounding the mound is a very broad, shallow, circular ditch, which varies from 11-13m in width and reaches up to 0.40m in depth below external ground level; mound rises up to 2.4m above ditch on NE side. A segment of ditch runs into adjacent field to NW; and, about 9.5m to SSE of mound, line of ditch joins onto, and may even swerve outwards to incorporate, a tiny lake or pool, which is not visible on all OSI aerial photographs and is therefore not always flooded. Given its breadth, the ditch might perhaps be better described as a circular area from which the material for the mound was scraped. Overall diameter of the monument including this ‘ditch’ is 47.5m NNE-SSW. Mound, capped by a trigonometrical station (147m OD), is located at N end of broad, flattish summit of hill which runs in a N-S direction. Also on summit are a platform-barrow (WM011-022----), only 31m to ESE, and a ring-barrow (WM011-026----), at opposite end of summit c. 250m to S. Ground falls away gradually to NE, but flattish summit of hill continues as a spur to NW, before dropping away sharply to W, NW and N. Frewin Hill (WM011-133----) would be visible to SSE but for trees. Barrow at Fulmort (WM011-160----) is prominent on ridge to NE.

See attached profile of monument surveyed and drawn by the ASI.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness.

Date of upload: 23 February 2015

References

McGuinness, D. 2012 The prehistoric burial mounds and related monument of County Westmeath. Part I - Preliminary account of the monuments in the Lough Owel Area (Barony of Corkaree and part of Barony of Moyashel & Magheradernon). Unpublished survey funded by Westmeath County Council in association with Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society.