Enclosure in Nevinstown

Situated at the SW edge of a low-lying plateau, and at the crest of a steep slope down (H c. 10m) to a NW-SE section of the Blackwater River which is c. 60m distant. An enclosure (int. diam. c. 25m) defined by three ditches was excavated (E000162) by M. Cahill in 1977 in advance of mining operations that didn’t materialise (excavations.ie 1977-79:0059). The inner ditch was U and V-shaped (max. D 2.5m at N). The middle ditch was slighter and confined to the E-S area where the approaches were easiest, although its S end was incorporated into the outer ditch and its E end ran into the inner fosse. The outer fosse was almost complete even though it petered out at W where the slope was steepest, but it did enclose the other two ditches. An entrance is not noted, but the three ditches contained large quantities of animal bones. Three phases of activity are noted in the interior, although they might not be widely separated in time. The interior has numerous post-holes, probably representing several structures, all of which appear to have been burnt. A platform (dims c. 3m x c. 2m) that was paved with large limestone slabs had kerbing at its E edge and may have been used as a work-area as in its vicinity were an iron bloom and large quantities of slag as well as two iron knives. In the final phase the area was raised by the introduction of completely sterile soil. Artefacts recovered from the occupation included a skeuomorphic pin, a kidney-ring, a single-sided comb with iron rivets, two bone needles, an iron shears, a barrel-lock, a blue glass bead and two jet bracelets. There were also sherds of locally manufactured pottery and a date in the late twelfth or thirteenth century is suggested for this phase. The pit-burial (ME025-043001-) was in the S interior of the enclosure, and activity from the later occupation is probably responsible for truncating the urn it contained.