Enclosure in Boyerstown

A geophysical survey by Bartlett-Clark (2002) in advance of the M3 motorway noted anomalies which targeted archaeological testing (04E0580) by N. Fairburn (2004) at Testing Area 7 could identify as archaeological features (excavations.ie 2004:1190). A large area of 3.2 ha was fully resolved (E003107) within the road-take by L. Clarke and T. Connell jointly over ten months beginning in June 2006 as Boyerstown 3 (excavations.ie 2006:1518; 2007:1269) as two archaeological areas separated by a NNE-SSW current field bank and drain, Area 1 to the SE and Area 2 to the NW. The principal findings are a series of subrectangular fields with rounded corners dating from the seventh to ninth centuries AD that are associated with a circular enclosure (ME025-088001-) which was almost completely outside the excavated area at W and is probably a rath. The remains of a second circular enclosure (ME025-088002-), also probably a rath, were within the excavation but it was so truncated that its context is difficult to establish. A small circular structure (ME025-088003-) outside the fields at S and four cereal-drying kilns (ME025-088004-) are closely contemporary but a Bronze Age hut-site (ME025-088006-) in a palisaded enclosure (ME025-088005-) are also recorded outside the field system at SE. PALISADED ENCLOSURE: The small hut-site (ME025-088006-) is in low-lying ground c. 18m E of the SE edge of the field system and it does not relate directly to other excavated features. Externally, a line of eighteen post-holes extend E from a point c. 2m N of the hut-site, curving northwards (L c. 13m). A sample of alder charcoal from one of the post-holes provided a C14 date of 1734-1515 cal. BC (Beta 247110). Whether this arc of a palisade was ever complete is not known with certainty but an arcing line of eight post-holes (L c. 10m) further S suggests that the two formed a circular (diam. c. 25m) palisaded enclosure. A pit burial (diam. 0.44-0.48m; D 0.11m) was outside the enclosure c. 10m NW of the hut-site, and sherds from Early Bronze Age vessels of bipartite and vase type were recovered from another isolated pit (diam. 0.5-0.56m; D 0.26m). A section of a N-S metalled surface (Wth c. 2.2m; L 23m), part of the system of post-medieval road surfaces, sealed two post-holes of the arc as well as the pit with domestic pottery. (Clarke 2009, 13-16, 22-3, 47-8) See the attached plans from Clarke (2009 figs 9, 15) _01 location; _02 plan; Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 12 April, 2023 Clarke, L. 2009 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Boyerstown 3, Co. Meath. Licence: E003107. Final Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services