Enclosure in Piercetown (dunboyne By.)

Situated on a slight rise in a fairly level landscape. A gradiometer survey (06R0083) of a large area (c. 48 ha) in Piercetown and Craddockstown townlands identified areas with potential archaeological features, including two large enclosures in Piercetown and a smaller one in Craddockstown (Harrison 2006). Targeted archaeological testing (06E0635) by T. Bolger (2006) confirmed the presence of the two larger features but the smaller one was shown to be non-archaeological, although three other smaller concentrations of archaeological features were identified (excavations.ie 2006:1621). Systematic archaeological testing (16E0451) by Deirdre Murphy of the development area within Piercetown explored the larger enclosures (excavations.ie 2016:463). This programme also identified a third enclosure and three other potential, but smaller, archaeological areas. This newly discovered enclosure (Site 3) is subcircular (diam. c. 35m E-W; c. 30m N-S) and defined by a fosse or ditch (Wth 1.8-2.6m) that was visible as a grey clay with charcoal and animal bone inclusions. There appear to be two ditches on the perimeter at NW, and a number of linear features and at least one pit in the interior. The enclosure will be preserved as a green area. (Murphy 2016, 14-15) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 3 November 2021