Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Marlinstown

Situated on a slight rise, in gently undulating pasture with good views in all directions. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 6-inch map as an oval-shaped earthwork. Monument described in 1970 as a broad oval-shaped area (dims. 48m NNW-SSE; 39m ENE-WSW) enclosed by a bank and an outer fosse. The bank is best preserved from S-W-NW and at NNE and is reduced to a scarp elsewhere. There are several slight gaps but the original entrance is not evident. Traces of a fosse are visible from ENE-E-S-WSW. The interior rises gently from the perimeter towards the centre and has traces of cultivation ridges running N-S. There is a small modern quarry hole at the foot of the scarp at W. The site is skirted by a modern field fence and trench running NE-SW at NW. Another modern field fence skirts the site at N. Excavations carried out on the E half of the monument between 1990-91 suggests that this was a ringfort with evidence of metalworking activity that was reused as a burial ground (WM019-066001-). In 1990 prior to the construction of the Mullingar By-pass the site was archaeologically excavated by V.J. Keeley and her results were summarised as following; 'Investigation was recommended at the site as construction of the proposed Mullingar By-Pass is scheduled to cut through the monument, destroying the eastern area of the structure. Prior to excavation the site was defined by an oval shaped bank atop a natural glacial knoll. It measured 52m in length and 46m in width. The degree of preservation of the bank varied around its circumference. The excavation revealed a complex monument as defined by a bank surrounded by an outer ditch and with evidence of an interior ditch. These and the discovery of a human skeleton and several pits during the investigation phase led to a four week excavation of the site. A further five burials were uncovered at this time and the already exposed features were excavated. The bank measured 1m in maximum height. It was composed of a mixture of boulder clay with inclusions of charcoal and fragmentary animal bone. An outer ditch surrounded the bank; this attained a depth of 1.8m and a maximum width of 2m. The fill consisted of a sticky boulder clay and a grey gley, with charcoal inclusions. The second ditch has been only partially excavated; so far it appears as though it cuts into the bank in some areas while in others it lies directly inside the bank. The nature of this ditch and the chronology of the structures will be addressed during a further season’s work at the site. Artefacts recovered from this feature include a bronze finger ring, an iron knife, crucible fragments and a vitreous material. A significantly large amount of animal bone was recovered from the ditch, including complete skulls. Other artefacts found include an iron knife which was recovered from the fill of one of the pits. Six burials were uncovered: one of these, E560:47. was different from the others. The burial was that of a young adult female and it was deposited in a shallow pit which did not adequately accommodate the body. The knees were flexed slightly to the right and the head lay on its right side. The other burials were articulated and were extended inhumations in shallow pits without grave goods. All burials were aligned roughly east-west with the head at west. Three of the graves are outlined by stones. With one exception the burials lay between 0.3m-0.5m below the surface. Both male and female adults were represented. All burials were concentrated in the south-western sector of and within the monument' (www.excavations.ie 1990:113). The following year a second season of excavation was undertaken and the findings were summarised as following; 'During a five-week period in April-May 1991 a second season’s excavation was conducted on the site. Over the season’s work the eastern half of the monument which is scheduled to be destroyed by motorway construction was fully excavated as was a significant portion of the remaining area. The bank and ditch were further investigated establishing that the bank was best preserved on the western side of the monument where it attained a maximum height of 2m. The outer ditch was also well preserved in this area and had not been affected by soil action as had occurred on the eastern side of the monument. The inner enclosure ditch was fully excavated confirming that this feature post-dated the initial phase of activity at the fort. It comprised a well-defined ditch which varied in depth and content from the western to the eastern side of the monument. On the west the fill consisted of an homogeneous clay fill with scattered animal bone inclusions while on the north and east side the feature was narrower in width and contained a considerable amount of material including animal bones, crucible fragments, iron slag, bronze artifacts etc. A simple entrance feature was located at the south-east. A metal working area was uncovered in the area of the northern bank. Here a bowl furnace and associated pits were discovered. Additional burials were uncovered at the site bringing the maximum count to 14. Where burial was formal all were represented by extended inhumation with the head at west. The skeleton of an adult male was recovered from the outer ditch; this was an extended inhumation lying along the line of the ditch. The inner enclosure ditch also contained skeletal material. Here the remains of a child were uncovered. Not all the bones were present but skeletal analysis indicates that the child may have fallen or been thrown into the ditch. It lay across the ditch with the head at west. The skeletons of two children buried simultaneously were also recovered from within the monument. These lay facing each other with the skulls touching. The remains of an adult female placed front downward in a grave were also found. This represents the second example of an atypical burial from the site. A significant amount of animal bone, charcoal and finds were recovered from the site, the bulk of these being found in the fill of the inner ditch. Finds include iron knives, an iron leather scorer and pin fragments, a bronze ring and bracelet, crucible fragments much vitreous material' (www.excavations.ie 1991:126). Today only the W half of the monument survives and is visible on Digital Globe aerial photography as a roughly semicircular-shaped shrub-lined earthwork from SSW-W-NNW which is intersected by the N52 to E and a slip road onto the N4 at N. Compiled by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 04 June 2019