Hearth in Cakestown Glebe

Located in a gently undulating landscape in the valley of the NW-SE River Blackwater, with a NW-SE section of the river c. 200m to the SW. Archaeological testing (04E0913) by J. Roynane (2005) at Testing Area 14 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway (excavations.ie 2004:1345) identified archaeological material on the route of the N52 Kells link-road that was fully excavated (E003158) by P. Lynch (2010) in February - March 2007 as Cakestown Glebe 2 when 3325 square metres were opened. A ring-ditch, two hut-sites and a structure, together with evidence of Mesolithic habitation were recorded (excavations.ie 2007:1273). The upper levels of almost all features were cut by NE-SW post-medieval furrows. This was located at the SE edge of the excavation and consisted of two adjacent hearths (dims 1.38m x 0.88m; D 0.22m: dims 1.05m x 0.86m; D 0.15m), both with oxidised reddish brown clays in their fills indicating burning, and the smaller and more northerly of the two has four postholes associated with it that might have supported spits. A modified butt-trimmed flake, diagnostic of the Later Mesolithic, was recovered from the fill of the smaller hearth. A piece of oak charcoal from the larger hearth returned a C14 date of 4489-4356 cal. BC (UBA 12070), but old wood could be a factor here. (Lynch 2011, 5-6; Delaney 2021, 44) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 11 March 2022