Burial ground in Teehill

Located on top of a small drumlin just S of Clones town. The Clones Workhouse was built by 1843 and was designed to hold 600 inmates. During the Great Famine further houses were rented to accommodate an additional 220 people. In the 1901 census 80 people were registered as living at the Workhouse. The date of closure is not known but the Hospital, the last Workhouse buildings which was located N of the main complex, was demolished sometime after 2003. The location of the Workhouse burial ground is not identified on the OS 25-inch map of c. 1890, the only one to record the Workhouse buildings. Archaeological testing (12E0262) in advance of laying pad foundations just E of the old E precinct wall of the workhouse at its N end uncovered burials, which are probably on the site of its official burial ground. Twenty three of the 25 sets of in situ remains within the excavated areas were removed and the remains of nine others were recovered in a disturbed condition. It was possible two preserve two burials in situ. The precinct boundary wall (H up to 1.4m) was also identified but no burials were recorded on its W side and most of the interments were in accumulated soils with lenses of ash. All the burials were aligned W-E and had spruce coffins, the outlines of which could be clearly seen. Eight pits, each with up to four coffins, were identified at the lowest level. However, complete excavation was not always possible because of the constraints of the pad foundations. A second phase of burials is identified as higher in the soil profile. An osteological report by Dr. Jonny Geber examined the remains of 35 individuals. Of these fifteen were children or pre-adult, and there were twelve adults, of which seven could positively be identified as male and four as female. Five of the adults were aged over 45 at the time of death. The cause of death could not be determined in any instance but dental hygiene was poor amongst the adults, although only five had lost teeth in life and wear from pipe-smoking was present in one male. This individual also suffered from osteoarthritis, which was evident also in four others, and vertebral osteophytosis or a compression of the spine. One child may have suffered from iron deficiency. Scurvy, caused by a deficiency of vitamin C, was positively identified in three cases and was probably present in seven others. Evidence of pulmonary infections, either tuberculosis or pneumonia, was present in three cases. Blunt-force trauma to the forehead was present in one young adult male. (O'Donovan 2013) O’Donovan, E. 2013 Archaeological Excavations at the site of the old Workhouse at Clones, Teehill, Co. Monaghan Licence No. 12E0262. Unpublished report, Author Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 10 February 2020