Concentric enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a gentle S-facing slope. A wooded enclosure is marked on the 1839 (diam. c. 45m) and 1924 (diam. c. 40m) eds of the OS 6-inch map was thought to be a tree-ring, but it incorporates the inner enclosure of a concentric enclosure. The inner enclosure (diam. c. 30m) is defined by an earthen bank and an outer fosse (max. Wth of top 2.8m; max. D 1.4m). The fosse was partially excavated (E3478) during 2005 by L. Mckinstry as Site 13 at Moneylawn Lower, as well as an extensive arc outsie it E-S which was one of the excavations undertaken in advance of the construction of the N11 Arklow-Gorey link-road.
A geophysical survey confirmed the full extend of the monument. The outer enclousre (diam. c. 75-80m) was defined by a single fosse (Wth c. 1m; D 0.85m). There were entrance causeways across both ditches at NE, that into the inner enclosure being metalled, while that into the outer enclousre was protected by a number of post-holes. Finds from the ditches suggest an early medieval date. Two early medieval houses (WX011-060002-; WX011-060003-) were located outside the outer enclosure at S with two kilns (WX011-060005-) nearby, but prehistoric occupation (WX011-060004-) was also recorded outside the outer enclosure at SW. (Mckinstry 2008; 2008a)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 12 April, 2012

References

Mckinstry, L. 2008a N11 Gorey to Arklow link: Archaeological Resolution. Preliminary report E3478. A003/015. Site 13 Moneylawn Lower, Co. Wexford. Unpublished report: V. J. Keeley Ltd.

Mckinstry, L. 2008 Moneylawn Lower. Prehistoric and early medieval. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2005: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 404-06, No. 1652. Dublin. Wordwell.