Cist in Mayfield OR Rocketscastle

A cist (dims. 1.36m E-W; 0.68m N-S) with a single lintel which contained a 9th/10th-century AD decorated strap-tag of English type and traces of a possible inhumation burial. The surrounding soil and nearby pits (diam. c. 0.24-0.5m; D 0.13-0.24m) contained charcoal flecks and calcified animal bone. One pit contained a small, crude earthenware vessel like a pygmy-cup. (Gowen 1988, 162-9) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 23 December 2008

Early medieval cist burial, 9th/10th century AD, associated with Anglo-Saxon material culture; significant as evidence of possible English influence or contact in the region during the Viking Age.