Hut site in Nugentstown

Situated on a slight E-facing slope in a gently undulating landscape. Archaeological testing (04E0919) by J. Roynane (2005) at Testing Area 8 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway identified archaeological material (excavations.ie 2004:1309) that was excavated (E003136) by P. Lynch (2010) as Nugentstown 1 from late September 2006 to mid-January 2007 (excavations.ie 2007:1360). Two large adjacent open areas amounting to 7641 square metres were opened. Structure 2 is c. 12m SE of the rectangular Structure 3 which is dated to the Late Bronze Age. This is a circular area (int. diam. c. 5m) defined by an arcing slot-trench (Wth 0.3m; D 0.25m) NW-N-SE and another (Wth 0.25m; D 0.12m) S-W, leaving a wide gap (Wth 2m) at SE and another (Wth 2.25m) at NW, although the latter has two small pits (dims 0.75m NW-SE; 0.4m NE-SW; D 0.15-0.3m) c. 0.4m apart at its centre. These were positioned to close the gap on this side and may have held posts. The E terminal of the NE slot-trench is cut by a pit (dims 1.25m NW-SE; 0.8m NE-SW; D 0.25m), although this may be the terminal changing direction and turning out as well as widening. There were postholes in the slot-trenches opposite each other at NE and SW, and there was another shallow posthole at the centre. Although no artefacts were recovered and no date is available, it is probably Bronze Age in date, as might the arc of a similar slot-trench (L 5.5m; Wth 0.7m; D 0.27m) SE-SW c. 10m to the NE, although this structure has been largely destroyed by a later E-W ditch (Wth 2m; D 0.9m) from which iron slag was recovered (Lynch 2010, 13-16). See the attached plan from Lynch (2010, fig. 9) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 23 March 2022