Burnt mound in Berkeley

Located on a slight NW-facing slope. Centre-line testing (E4067) in advance of the N25 New Ross by-pass identified a spread of broken and burnt stone that was set aside for resolution as Berkeley 2 (Doyle et al 2010, 44). When it was excavated (E4121) it proved to be a rectangular trough (dims 2.7m E-W; 2.1m N-S; D 0.5m) with 52 associated stake-holes and post-holes which had a circular pit (diam. 2.8-3m; D 0.54m) that was filled with silty clays and small amounts of charcoal immediately to the E. A small spread of burnt and broken stones (4.5m NNW-SSE; 2m ENE-WSW; D 0.1m) was W of the trough and had been cut by a pit (dims 1.57m E-W; 1.27m N-S; D 0.48m). There was a small pit (dims 0.9m N-S; 0.7m E-W; D 0.44m) 2.6m to the N. (Clark and Hackett 2010h, 8-16; Hackett 2013) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 September, 2013

Burnt mound, likely dating to the Neolithic or Bronze Age. Its significance lies in providing evidence of ancient domestic or ritual activity, though specific function remains unresolved.