Cist

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in elevated area of tillage, in an undulating landscape, with good views in all directions. Not depicted on the 1837 OS 6-inch map or on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map. Monument described in 1985 as a very small trapezoidal-shaped cist (dims. 0.21m NW-SE; max. Wth 0.43m NE-SW), narrowing at one end (min. Wth 0.18m NW-SE), which was uncovered during ploughing in April 1985. According to local information the cist was enclosed by what appears to be the remains of a cairn (approx. overall diam. 15-20m) comprising of a concentration of quite large stones.
The cist burial was archaeologically excavated 29/04/1985 to 01/05/1985. The upper fill of the cist consisted of loose clay and extremely brittle bone. When removed, the outlined of the upper-part of a skeleton was clearly visible lying on the floor of the cist. The human remains consisted of part of a skull, rib-cage and the arm bones of a very small individual, presumably a child. Also part of a leg bone lay on the floor of the cist, placed in a way that suggests the legs were pulled up under the pelvis and were set to one side. The individual was therefore buried in a crouched position, albeit on their back. The floor of the cist consisted of a few small slabs arranged so that the head of the person buried was raised slightly. The crown of the skeleton was at the NE end of the cist.
The cist was constructed of six sandstone slabs, neatly fitted together with little or no evidence for the use of facing stones. Two side stones and two end stones formed a trapezoidal-shaped structure. A further two slabs, lying flat at either end of the cist covered the end stones and overlapped the side stones slightly. The floor was paved with small slabs and pebbles and a small capstone formed the roof and completed the structure.
After the cist was emptied of its contents and the structure recorded, it was dismantled and the outline of the pit was exposed. The pit for the cist was excavated into the gravel subsoil. It was slightly wider and deeper than the cist and some of the skeletal remains were found in under the side stones. The stones from which the cist was constructed were brought to the museum in Mullingar at the request of the Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society. The skeletal remains were ultimately deposited with the NMI. Site of cist is not visible today on Digital Globe aerial photography.

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

Date of upload: 06 November 2019