What is recorded here

Raystown is a rare open field system in County Meath, Ireland, where two major north-west to south-east drains and smaller north-south gullies shaped land beside a burial ground. The drains were cut, refilled and cut again from Phase 2 through Phase 4, reaching 700 to 900 AD, while hearths above them suggest people lived there even though no houses have been recognised. The southern mills later crossed the same lines, and the buried banks still shadow the fields where fire, water and death shared one narrow strip of earth.

Two major NW-SE field boundaries marked by drains S of the burial ground were established in Phase 2. They are placed c. 20-25m apart and both were frequently re-cut. With some N-S gullies feeding into them they created an area (dim. 20m N-S) N of the outer enclosure of the burial ground where numerous hearths testify to habitation (ME045-036002-), although no houses are recognised. Other NW-SE drains S of the burial ground are similarly spaced and undoubtedly related. Further drains on the same alignment and with similar spacing and cross-drains were being added up to Phase 4 (700-900 AD) but the burial ground was never traversed by these features. In Phases 3-4 the major drains are truncated by the mill-races of the southern mills. The drains are filled generally with deposits containing a high proportion of redeposited natural, which suggests that it derived from accompanying earthen banks. (Seaver 2009, vol. 1, 51-3, 64-5, 96) See the attached pan from Seaver (2009, vol. 2) _1 Geophysical evidence (fig. 9) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 20 December 2021

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