Pit-burial

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in gently undulating pasture. Not depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map or the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map. A pit-burial was discovered during ploughing in 1964 (Vandeleur 1965, 256-257). The plough lifted a large stone which had concealed the feature. The burial consisted of cremated bone mixed with charcoal in an oval pit of probable prehistoric date. The NMI indicated that the remains were typical of a Neolithic or Early Bronze Age cremation burial (NMI Reg. No. 1964:47). According to Lucas (1967, 11), a second similar burial was found in close proximity in 1966. Little is known of this burial as it appears to have been heavily disturbed during the process of being discovered.

Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien.

Date of upload: 05 July 2019

References

Lucas, A.T. 1967 Archaeological acquisitions 1964. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 97 (1), 1-28.

Vandeleur, R.S. 1965 Prehistoric Pit Burial at Clonickilvant, Co. Westmeath. Ríocht na Mídhe 3 (3), 256-257.