Flat cemetery

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a slight N-facing slope. Centre-line testing (E4067) in advance of the N25 New Ross by-pass identified an anomaly that was set aside for resolution as Berkeley 3 (Doyle et al 2010, 44). When it was excavated (E4122) it proved to be an unenclosed flat cemetery consisting of 25 possible token cremation pit-burials located in a concentrated area (dims c. 10m x c. 10m), with some post-holes and stake-holes. The burials were in small pits (diam. c. 0.35-0.7m; D c. 0.2m) and three phases of activity are identified. Three of the pits, together with some stake-holes and post-holes, can be associated with the N terminal of a ditch (Wth 0.65m; D 0.2m; visible L 4m NW-SE). Phase 2 was identified as a kidney-shaped layer of introduced red-brown silty clay (dims 16m E-W; 9m N-S; max. T 0.15m), which overly the earlier features and was cut by the remaining features of phase 3, which consisted of 17 possible burials and a post-hole. Some features outside the introduced layer, including five possible cremation burials, could belong to any phase (Hackett 2010, 7-13; Hackett 2013).

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 September, 2013

References

Hackett, L. 2010 New Ross bypass road scheme, Cappagh, Co. Kilkenney to Knockroe, Co. Wexford. Archaeological Services Contract, Stage (iii) – excavation, post-excavation assessment report for Berkeley 3 (E4122) in the townland of Berkeley, Co. Wexford. Unpublished report, Headland Archaeology.

Hackett, L. 2013 Berkeley 3. Unenclosed flat token cremation cemetery. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2010: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 228, No. 720. Dublin, Wordwell.

Doyle, L., Hackett, L., Hession, J., Marshall, M. Yates, D. and Bolger, T. 2010 N25 New Ross bypass road scheme, Cappagh, Co. Kilkenny to Knockroe, Co.Wexford. Archaeological services contract, Stage (1) – standard test excavation, wetland test excavation, townland boundary survey and architectural/built heritage survey. Test excavation report, under Ministerial Directions Number A52 (E4067) Unpublished report. Headland Archaeology Ltd.