Enclosure in Bookaun (tottenham)

In pasture, straddling the level top and gentle SE-facing slope of a broad low hill. Ground falls away gently towards the Ballybeg River c. 100m to E. The hill and the surrounding field are dotted with boulders/erratics. Subcircular area (53m N–S; 53m E–W) enclosed by an earth and stone bank (Wth 1.8-2m; int. H 0.65-1.1m; ext. H 0.75-0.8m). The bank is composed of a core of earth and stone with a rough facing of large rounded or irregular-shaped boulders. The degree of preservation of the bank is variable and there are several breaks, or severely eroded sections, including breaks at NE (Wth 4m), E (3m), S (3m) and SW (c. 10m), NW (Wth 3m). In the N half of the interior there is a slight slope down from NW to SE but ground levels out in the S half. A subrectangular area (19m N-S; 22.5m E-W) in the SE quadrant of the interior is partitioned off by a bank of earth and stone, now very degraded. A large prostrate stone (min. L 2.7m; min. Wth 1m), possibly bedrock, protrudes from the sod in the W half of the partitioned area. A break (Wth 3m), in the enclosure bank at S, allow access into the partitioned off area. A field wall of boulders extends for 18m to S from the SW edge of the enclosure, and remnants of another possible field boundary (L 7m N-S; Wth 1.2-2m; H 0.4m) abuts the enclosure at S. These field boundaries are part of a field system (SL011-032002-), fragmentary remains of which traverse the hill. There is a mound (SL011-032001-) immediately to NW of the enclosure. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 13 November 2013