Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Alexander Reid

INTRODUCTION: Situated on a slight rise of rock outcrop in a fairly level landscape, with a small wet area just to the E. A geophysical survey (11R0049) of an extensive area (c. 10 ha) in the townlands of Alexander Reid and Bailis by J. M. Leigh identified five potential archaeological areas. Targeted archaeological testing (11E0240) by F. Walsh (2015) demonstrated that three were relatively modern features (excavations.ie 2011:467) but a post-medieval house (ME025-095001-) and related structures in Area A as well as an enigmatic enclosure in Area D required closer scrutiny. In Area D the testing confirmed the presence of a subrectangular enclosure (dims c. 35m N-S; c. 40m plus E-W), whose E extent could not be recorded because of disturbance. It was defined by a round-bottomed ditch (Wth 2.5m; D 0.8m) filled with sandy clays containing animal bones, but no artefacts were recovered. Subsequently, the stripping of two large areas (dims 100m x 80m: 100m x 60m) that was archaeologically supervised (16E0268) by P. Clancy on either side of a N-S mapped avenue and ditch revealed its extent (dims c. 35m N-S; c. 60m E-W) with an entrance (Wth 2m) on the W side (excavations.ie 2016:762). It seemed to have an annexe (dims c. 30m E-W; c. 10m N-S) defined by a slighter ditch attached to the S side. Articulated human bone representing two individuals that were aligned W-E and located close to each other were recovered but other disarticulated human remains were also present. The area was completely excavated (16E0449) by S. McGlade from February to May 2017 when a multi-phase settlement of the first millennium AD was recorded together with a burial ground of the seventeenth century (excavations.ie 2017:193). The area had been severely truncated by landscaping in the nineteenth century and only the bases of features survived. Final monitoring of the development works revealed that the recorded features extended at most a few metres beyond the excavated area (McGlade and Ruddy 2019, 11-18). Only a preliminary report is available so far (McGlade 2017), which has no specialised reports, radiocarbon dates or a detailed scheme of the four major development phases identified, but the artefacts recovered intimate a date in the seventh and eighth centuries AD. The earliest feature is a circular rath, to which an E annexe (ME025-096001-) in two phases was added during Phase 2. In Phase 3 a W annexe (ME025-096002-) was added. During Phase 4 these three features were combined into a large subrectangular enclosure (ME025-096003-) that has other large enclosures attached including a second or outer W annexe (ME025-096004-). Two circular hut-sites (ME025-096005-; ME025-096006-) were recorded and there were eleven corn-drying kilns (ME025-096007-) across the excavated area but only one instance of metal-working (ME025-096008-). The graveyard (ME025-096009-) and house (ME025-096010-) long post-date the other features. RATH: The rath (int. diam. 28m N-S; 26.4m E-W) is defined by a single rock-cut fosse (Wth 1.02-1.12m; D 0.4-0.53m) that encloses a slight rise of rock outcrop, with the avenue that is mapped on the OS 6-inch maps clipping its E edge. Two phases are recognised in the fosse, the earlier only surviving at SE and W but at the latter it was narrowing to a possible entrance at WNW. Above a basal silt the fill is stony slump material likely to be derived from an internal bank, and at W a secondary line of the fosse ran inside the original, although the re-cut occupied most of the original fosse elsewhere. There was also an entrance (Wth 1.75m) with a metalled surface over the fill of the original ditch at SE which had been partly cut into the inner edge of the ditch. The fosse might have been bridged at this point from the beginning of the rath’s existence but no post-holes for such a structure were recorded. Externally, a path with a gully on one side led W from this earlier entrance. The upper fill of the re-cut fosse has plenty of animal bones indicating a relatively long occupation. The metalled entrance at SE was renewed (Wth 1.9m) with larger cobbles over the fill of the second-phase ditch. This surface included a spud-stone at its outer W edge, suggesting that there may have been a gate on the outer edge of the ditch, and an access path led S from it. A large pit cut the inner edge of the original rath ditch at W and was itself cut by the re-cut ditch. Another pit containing an articulated section of a large animal was cut into the re-cut ditch at S, perhaps marking its final abandonment. (McGlade 2017, vol. 1, 10-16) See the attached images from McGlade (2017, figs P 22, 10, 15) _01 location; _02 early phase; _03 later phase; Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 19 April, 2023 Walsh, F. 2015 Archaeological Assessment at Athlumney, Co. Meath. Licence: 11E0240. Final unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy McGlade, S. 2017 Preliminary Excavation Report, Site D, Alexander Reid, Navan. Licence: 16E0449. Archaeology Plan 2 vols McGlade, S. & S. Ruddy 2019 Excavation of Site A, Bailis, & Monitoring, Alexander Reid, Navan. Licence: 16E0449. Unpublished report, Archaeology Plan