Burnt mound in Knockhouse Lower

In an area of poorly drained land. This monument was completely excavated in advance of a development by West Pharmaceutical Products Ireland Ltd. (Excavation Licence number 15E0260). It consists of a burnt mound with two troughs and two pits. One trough was rectangular (dims. 1.9m x 1.25m; D 0.42m) with steep sides and a flat base. It had nine stake-holes cut into its base, at the four corners and along the inner NW edge. These have been interpreted as the basis for upright wooden stakes which would have supported a wooden lining around the inner edges of the trough. The other steep-sided rounded trough (diam. 1.45m; D 0.55m) with a rounded base was located immediately E of the rectangular trough and contained a heat-affected stone. A shallow rectangular pit (dims. 1.1m x 0.8m; D 0.09m) with gentle sides and a flat base was located SSE of the rounded trough. It had an arrangement of six possible stake-holes aligned across its base. It contained a mixture of sand, burnt stone and charcoal. Another rounded pit (dims. 1m x 0.95m; D 0.18m), with gradual sides and a rounded base, was located immediately NNE of the rectangular trough and contained charcoal-rich clay with heat-affected stone. An area of darkened subsoil (dims. 7m E-W; 5m N-S) was recorded surrounding the troughs and pit and this may represent the trace remains of a former burnt mound deposit. (Walsh and Sutton 2015, 2, 9-10). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 12 January 2016

A Neolithic burnt mound, dating to approximately 4000–2500 BCE. It is significant as a rare example of early prehistoric domestic or ritual activity in the region.