What is recorded here

One charcoal pit at Moyvalley 2, County Kildare, survived where two other marks proved natural. A little under a metre across and seven centimetres deep, it held enough ancient carbon to suggest a human fire between AD 670 and 970, yet no hearth, vessel or burnished edge appeared beside it. The land had been marsh before post-medieval ditches cut it into farmable ground, so the pit may have marked a passing household, a lost boundary or a child’s playful burn.

In 2002, archaeological excavation (Licence No. 02E1089) was carried out on behalf of Westmeath County Council at Moyvalley 2, Co. Kildare, before the construction of the M4 Kinnegad-Enfield-Kilcock Motorway Scheme. The site was previously identified during route testing as three possible pits. Two of the features were natural; the third was a small charcoal-rich pit, roughly circular (diam. c. 1.05m; D 0.07m). It provided a radiocarbon date of cal. AD 670-970 (with the possibility of old wood effect). There was no direct evidence of burning in situ and no associated features. The pit was within the grounds of Ballyna estate, formerly the More O'Farrell estate. The land was originally extensive marsh but had been well drained by a number of post-medieval ditches and drains. No cultural material was associated with the pit. (www.excavations.ie) Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011

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