Barrow - ditch barrow

The National Monuments Service's description

Located at the bottom of a SE-facing slope in the flood-plain of the NE-SW River Bann with the stream c. 500m to the SE. Archaeological monitoring in advance of building new sewage works identified a ditch-barrow that was completely excavated (99E0450). It was a subcircular area (int. dim3.6-4.25m) with no internal features defined by a complete ditch (Wth 0.28m at NE to 0.9m at S; D 0.2-0.4m) with some stake-holes. Five cremated deposits representing seven individuals were in the ditch, underlain in some cases by burnt timbers, some of which had nails. Three of the deposits had grave goods, and up to fifty glass beads, a stone pendant, a scrap of bronze and a sherd of coarse pottery were recovered. C14 dates of 2090 +- 50 BP and 2190 +- 50 BP have been obtained. The pit (WX015-069----) is c. 20m to the S. (Ryan 2000b; 2012; Ryan and Henry 2000)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 2 May, 2012
Amended: 21 October 2020

References

Ryan, F. and M. Henry 2000 Ferns sewerage scheme. Multi-period. in I. Bennett Excavations 1999. Summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 300-02, No. 875.

Ryan, F. 2000 Archaeologicl findings from monitoring of Phase 1 of Ferns sewerage scheme, Co. Wexford. Unpublished report. Mary Henry Archaeological Services.

Ryan, F. 2012 22 Excavation of a late Iron Age ring-ditch at Ferns Lower, Co. Wexford. in Corlett, C. and M. Potterton (eds) Life and Death in Iron Age Ireland in the light of recent archaeological excavations. 22, 273-89. Dublin, Wordwell