Barrow - ring-barrow

The National Monuments Service's description

Monument surveyed in 2015 and described by McGuinness (2015, 65) as following: ‘Severely damaged earthwork, comprising a circular, approximately flat-topped mound or platform (Base diam. 14.8m N-S x 15.2m E-W), its upper surface kept roughly level despite undulating ground level, which is surrounded on its NE side by an arc of ditch and external bank 18m in length; overall diameter of monument including central mound and the surviving ditch and bank on one side, is 21.3m NE-SW. Monument has been deliberately placed on sloping ground rather than on more even ground, or on a local summit; but its builders have made it more massive on N side than S, in order to ensure that it remained approximately level. Bank is up to 4.10m in width and, rising 0.92m over the ditch, is of a similar height to the central platform, which rises 0.90m over the ditch. Height of bank, taken down to a break in the steep natural slope immediately NE of the barrow, is 0.88m; there is a further drop of 1.22m before the natural ground levels out, so that the monument is most imposing from this side in the same way that the other Porterstown ring-barrow (WM027-036----), placed on the edge of an escarpment but kept approximately level, is most striking when seen from the N where its banks are most massive, and further exaggerated by following the slope of the escarpment. Although this was not observed on a single, short visit to the site by the survey-team, the ASI account of 17/5/71 notes that ‘On the W a slight earthen bank can be seen, extending approx E, on the central area’ [SMR file]. Although the monument is currently identified as a ringfort on the NMS website, one of the ASI accounts (17/5/71) is nonetheless headed ‘Ring-Barrow?’ [SMR file], and this classification seems most fitting: there is no clear evidence for an inner bank and there are three other ring-barrows (WM027-020----; WM027-021----) close by, at least two of them within sight in Riverstown; the well-preserved ring-barrow at Porterstown (WM027-036----), only 600m to S, has a very similar appearance, with flat-topped central platform, deep ditch and large external bank, and it too is kept more or less level despite greatly undulating topography, so that one side appears much higher from the outside, where the natural ground is lower. Monument lies beside road at edge of a large, recently ploughed field; presumably ploughing and related activities are responsible for removal of bank and ditch. Although the site is now mostly clear of vegetation, with only a few young trees growing on it and stumps of two older felled trees, it was covered by dense growth and fallen trees when visited by ASI fieldworkers on 17/5/71 and 5/6/80 [SMR file]. As such, while upper surface of central mound has the overall appearance of being flat-topped, it is in fact heavily disturbed with bumps and hollows presumably left by uprooted trees and burrowing animals’.

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

Date of upload: 10 February 2016

References

McGuinness, D. 2015 The prehistoric burial mounds and related monument of County Westmeath. Part III - Monuments in Northern and Eastern Westmeath (Baronies of Delvin and Fore, and Parts of Baronies of Farbill, Fartullagh, Moygoish, and Moyashel & Magheradernon). Unpublished survey funded by Westmeath County Council in association with Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society.