What is recorded here

Killeen Castle Demesne in County Meath held a thirty-metre ringwork whose ditch cut through older enclosures, marking the arrival of a new defensive order. Waste dumped inside the ditch preserved wheat, oats, cabbage and oyster shells, while imported pottery from France and Britain suggests the household reached across seas. The castle may have been small, but its table and trade were not local.

This site was excavated (Licence no. 05E0414ext.) within Killeen Castle Demesne in advance of development. Characterised by a curvilinear ditch that directly truncated both early enclosures (ME038-050001-) this ditch constituted the original castle ringwork or formed part of the motte. The ditch (2.9-3.6m w.) enclosed an area 30m in diameter. The fills reflect the probable dumping of waste from the interior and include animal bone and oyster shell. Analysis of the plant remains identified a predominance of wheat grains as well as oats, weeds and cabbage. The pottery recovered included imported ware from France (Saintonge, French Orleans)and Britain (Ham Green B, Chester)(Baker 2009, 61). Compiled by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 22 February 2015

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