BARONSTOWN 1

Site Name/Townland	Site Number	Description	Provisional site type	Provisional dating
Baronstown 1	2-17	Large ditched enclosure complex	Possible ritual enclosure or settlement complex	Possible Prehistoric and Early Medieval.

The third complex of enclosures identified by geophysical survey was at Baronstown 1 (Section 2), adjacent to the road that runs between the village of Skryne and the Hill of Tara.

Extract of 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1836), showing site location of Baronstown 1, which is indicated by the large blue circle on the right hand side of the map. The sub-circular shape of the field within which the site is located can be seen on the map and may represent an outer enclosure.

The Dunshaughlin to Navan Road (coming from Dublin) runs south-east / north-west along the left-hand side of the map. (Map reproduced by courtesy of the Board of Trinity College Dublin)

The main focus of the site is a circular enclosure approximately 40m in diameter. A number of other ditches were identified by the geophysics and testing outside this enclosure which appear to annex or enclose this main enclosure. The sub-circular shape of the modern field (c .200m diameter) within which Baronstown 1 is located may also be shown to have originated as part of this site but it could also be coincidental.

The enclosure at Baronstown lies within an
almost circular field, visible in this aerial
photograph, which may represent a larger
outer enclosure. (Courtesy of ACS Ltd.)

The date of the main enclosure is still unclear. In size and shape it resembles a ringfort. The only diagnostic find from the site was a sherd of probable Bronze Age pottery from a pit not stratigraphically related to any of the enclosures.

As discussed above, it is not uncommon to find earlier features under ringforts and this pit may be an indication of such earlier activity or it may yet be revealed that the main enclosures are also Bronze Age.

Geophysical Survey

The results of the geophysical survey revealed an approximately 40m internal diameter circular enclosure, possibly a Prehistoric ritual enclosure or large ringfort. The site at Baronstown 1 is one of three large enclosure complexes identified during geophysical survey of Section 2 (Dunshaughlin-Navan) in 2000. The other two sites identified were at Roestown and Dowdstown. The morphology of the sites indicated that both Roestown and Dowdstown were likely to be early medieval settlements while Baronstown could be early medieval or prehistoric. [Click here for a detailed description of the geophysical survey].

Testing

The main enclosure has an internal diameter of 41m and a series of annexes. Testing also revealed a U-Shaped enclosing ditch measuring 4m wide and 1m deep. Internal features included pits, linear features and a hearth.


	Section through ditch of main enclosure. (Courtesy of ACS Ltd.)							Pit from which possible Bronze Age pottery was recovered. (Courtesy of ACS Ltd.)

Possible Bronze Age pottery was recovered from a pit at Baronstown 1. The pit was not stratigraphically related to the main enclosure, which is currently interpreted as a ringfort and discussed below under early medieval settlement. It is not uncommon to find earlier features under ringforts and this pit may be an indication of such earlier activity or it may yet be revealed that the main enclosures are also Bronze Age.

Preliminary Excavation Results

The site consisted of a circular ditched enclosure that was itself enclosed by a second outer ditch. Seven cereal-drying kilns, used for the drying of cereal grains after harvesting were also excavated. The kilns were of the common "figure-of-eight" form with average dimensions of 2.15m in length, 1.15m, diameter of the fire-pit, 0.85m diameter of the oven pit and with the fire-pit excavated 0.10m deeper than the oven pit.

The main enclosing ring fort ditch was impressive up to 3m deep and 4m wide. It is thought that the excavated material from this ditch may have been placed on the interior of the ringfort and formed a bank around the interior. The ditch had an internal diameter of 40m, which with a 3m wide bank in position would have provided an enclosed diameter of 34m, an area of c.908mÂ². The area covered by the bank and ditch was c.1809mÂ².

The main find on site was animal bone. Preliminary survey of the bone indicated that the majority of animals represented in the assemblage were cattle, although pig and sheep were also present.

Aerial view of Baronstown site from the north showing large circular enclosure ditch and outer ditch complex (Studio lab)

Artefacts

The collection of finds was not large but contained examples of artefact types typically associated with early medieval settlements. Iron finds included blades of small tanged knives. All were of the typical curved-backed blade with a straight cutting edge. Decorative bronze-work included a spiral-ringed lop-headed pin and a penannular brooch with zoomorphic terminals in the form of birds' heads. The brooch type typically dates to the seventh century AD .

The basal deposits of the ringfort ditch were water-logged and a number of wooden artefacts were recovered including bucket and barrel staves.

A near intact turned wooden bowl was also recovered sitting horizontally within the ditch fill. The fill of the bowl was very pale in contrast to the surrounding near black ditch fills. Although it has yet to be analysed it is a possibility that the contents of the bowl was butter. This possibility and the recovery of a wooden scoop beside the bowl has led the excavator to suggest that the bowl may have been deliberately placed in the ditch.

Fig. 3 Bone Needle (ACS Ltd)