Barrow - stepped barrow

The National Monuments Service's description

Surveyed in 2013 and described by McGuinness (2014, 29-30) as following: 'Fairly well-preserved roughly circular stepped-barrow (Diam. 39.3m N-S x 40m E-W) strikingly sculpted from a natural kame in a glaciated landscape, such that the central mound (Diam. 19.1m N-S x 18.7m E-W) is 1.70m higher than the surrounding bank on E side and 1.37m higher on W side, and the ditch between mound and bank is higher than external ground level. The overall diameter of the monument given above should be taken as an approximation, as its construction from a natural knoll makes it difficult to distinguish between the outer slope of the bank and the natural slope of the knoll. Mound is partly eroded on W side, exposing boulders beneath the sod, some very large. Mound has a markedly flattish upper surface (Diam. 9.3m N-S x 9.5m E-W) which rises up to 2.1m above ditch on W side and slopes down 0.86m from W to E; there is a sharp junction between top and sides of mound. Bank and ditch also slope down from W to E, the bank being much higher on W side than on E. Where highest and most massive at W, bank is 7.5m in width and rises up to 0.63m above the ditch and up to 1.4m above external ground level; at E end of monument, as on N and S sides, bank is barely visible, such that there is more of a step on a level with the base of the ditch, which then falls off to the natural slope of the knoll; this berm-like feature is up to 7m in width. Breaches in the bank, probably due to erosion, are evident on NE and SE sides. On NW side there is a funnel-shaped gap in the bank measuring 6m from inside to outside, widening towards the outside; to S of gap, bank is much thinner than to N. Ditch is up to 3.8m in width, where clearest on W side. Outside bank on E side of monument are two other low mounds apparently forming part of the same glacial feature on which barrow is situated. Monument lies in rough, undulating pastureland. Four other barrows (WM018-070----; WM018-106----; WM018-107---; WM018-151----) lie in the same townland, the nearest being c. 400m to SSE. Frewin Hill is visible to NE and mound-barrow on glacial hillock at Kilpatrick (WM018-097----) is visible over 400m to NNW'.

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

Date of upload: 23 February 2015

References

McGuinness, D. 2014 The prehistoric burial mounds and related monuments of County Westmeath. Part II - Monuments in central Westmeath (Barony of Rathconrath and parts of baronies of Moygoish, Moycashel, and Moyashel & Magheradernon). Unpublished survey funded by Westmeath County Council in association with Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society.