Church Fields, Ashbourne

Area

186 m²

Buildings

1 building touches it, 74 m² on the ground

Zoning

R2 A1 - Existing Residential (Meath County Development Plan 2021-2027) The objective

Townland

Killegland

Planning applications on this parcel

No planning application touches this parcel in the national file, which goes back to 2010.

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches this parcel.

Recorded monuments around it

This parcel is in the zone of notification of 7 recorded monuments.

• ME045-004 Church
  Description

  Situated on a slight rise in a level landscape, with the fold of a small S-N steam just to the E, and the stream itself is c. 20m distant. Killegland was called Ceall Dumha Ghlúin – church of the mound of the knee – and a St Mogheanóg, a putative brother of Patrick, could be associated with it (Ó Riain 2011, 478-9). A more likely derivation of the name is from Cill Dhéalgáin through the assimilation of the ‘l’ and the following ‘d’ (pers com. Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich, 22/11/2019), although all local knowledge of a connection with St Declan of Ardmore (WA040-008001-) is long gone. A church at Killeglan is listed in the ecclesiastical taxation (1302-06) of Pope Nicholas IV (Cal. doc. Ire., 5, 254). The parish church of Killeglan was amongst the possessions of St Thomas’ Augustinian abbey (DU018-020051-) at its suppression in 1540 (White 1943, 36). Ussher (1622) describes the church and chancel as ruined (Erlington 1847-64, 1, lxxii). According to the Dopping (1682-5) and Royal (1693) visitations the walls of the church of St Eglan (derived from Déalglán) and its chancel were standing but unrepaired since 1641, and the graveyard was not enclosed (Ellison 1971, 37). Cogan (1862-70, 2, 383) describes the church as measuring ’70 feet by 20 feet and 10 inches (c. 21.35m x c. 6.35m).’ Although the church is not marked on the 1836 ed. of the OS 6" map the enclosure is described in italic lettering as a 'Grave Yard' and in gothic lettering as a 'fort'. The church is a nave (int. dims 13.5m E-W; 4.7m N-S) defined by earthen banks (Wth 2-3m; int. H 0.3-0.6m; ext. H 0.2-0.6m) with entrance gaps towards the W end of the N (Wth 1.8m) and S (Wth 1.5m) walls, and chancel (int. dims 6.2m E-W; 4.1m N-S) defined by reconstructed walls (H c. 0.5m) at N and S. The reconstructed E wall (H 2m) has an embrasure (Wth 1.85m) which may be original but it is now foreshortened and displaying the heads of three ogee-headed windows with plain spandrels. The church is within a subcircular graveyard (dims 47m N-S; c. 43m E-W) defined by a masonry wall that has an entrance gate and stile at E. The few headstones date mostly from c. 1900 to the present, but a headstone lying prone in the chancel has the date 1724. Inside the perimeter of the graveyard is a rath (ME045-004002-), identifiable as a subcircular area (dims 39m N-S; c. 35m E-W) defined by an earthen bank (Wth 5-5.5m; int. H 0.3-0.5m; ext. H 1.2-1.5m) that is most intact NW-NE and ESE-SW but no fosse or entrance can be identified. A souterrain (ME045-004003-) was recorded inside the graveyard in 1982, and during development works around the graveyard during 2005-06 two further souterrains (ME045-004005-; ME045-004006-) as well as the ecclesiastical enclosure (ME045-004004-) were exposed. These features are now preserved in a fallow area (radius c. 30m) around the graveyard The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 8 April, 2015 Amended: 22 December 2021

• ME045-004001 Graveyard
  Description

  Situated on a slight rise in a level landscape, with the fold of a small S-N steam just to the E, and the stream itself is c. 20m distant. Although the parish church of Killegland (ME045-004----) is not marked on the 1836 ed. of the OS 6" map the enclosure is described in italic lettering as a 'Grave Yard' and in gothic lettering as a 'fort'. The graveyard is a subcircular area (dims 47m N-S; c. 43m E-W) defined by a masonry wall that has an entrance gate and stile at E. The few headstones date mostly from c. 1900 to the present, but a headstone lying prone in the chancel of the church has the date 1724. Inside the perimeter of the graveyard is the rath (ME045-004002-). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 April, 2015

• ME045-004002 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Situated on a slight rise in a level landscape, with the fold of a small S-N steam just to the E, and the stream itself is c. 20m distant. Although the parish church of Killegland (ME045-004----) is not marked on the 1836 ed. of the OS 6" map the enclosure is described in italic lettering as a 'Grave Yard' and in gothic lettering as a 'fort'. Inside the perimeter of the graveyard (ME045-004001-) is a rath, identifiable as a subcircular area (dims 39m N-S; c. 35m E-W) defined by an earthen bank (Wth 5-5.5m; int. H 0.3-0.5m; ext. H 1.2-1.5m) that is most intact NW-NE and ESE-SW. No fosse or entrance can be identified.A souterrain (ME045-004002-) that probably relates to the use of the rath was recorded in 1982. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 April,, 2015 Amended: 22 December 021

• ME045-004003 Souterrain
  Description

  Situated on a slight rise in a level landscape, with the fold of a small S-N steam just to the E. A souterrain was discovered during a clean-up of the graveyard in 1982 and was recorded by M. Clinton. The original entrance was in the bank of the rath (ME045-004002-) at N, and from here the N-S corbelled and lintelled passage (L c. 4m; Wth of base c. 0.8m; H c. 1m) proceeds S and curves slightly to the W as it enters an oval corbelled chamber (dims c. 3.5m NW-SE; c. 2.5m NE-SW; H 2.8m). This was closed by a single large capstone (dims 1.8m x 1.1m; T 0.2m) which was removed in 1982 when entry was gained. However, the capstone was damaged at that time and the souterrain is now sealed in concrete. (Feeley 2001, 53-4, No. 47) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 22 December 2021

• ME045-004004 Ecclesiastical enclosure
  Description

  Situated in a fairly level landscape that slopes down to small S-N stream, and surrounding Killegland church site (ME045-004----). Archaeological testing (05E1321) by S. Halliday in advance of a housing development identified numerous archaeological features, some of which were investigated by the same archaeologist under the original licence (excavations.ie 2006:1496). The features encountered in this area, designated Site 1, were further sampled by J. Kavanagh, and probably relate to the early church rather than to the rath that is visible inside the graveyard (excavations.ie 2006:1499). The features are now preserved in a fallow area (radius c. 30m) around the graveyard. The principal feature is a wide, round-bottomed and steep-sided fosse (L c. 80m; Wth of top 3.4-5m; D c. 1.95m) which was sampled at five points W of the graveyard. Although it appears in straight sections, they are centered on the graveyard and they can be interpreted as an ecclesiastical enclosure that might be rectangular rather than circular (dims c. 100m E-W; c. 100m plus N-S). The fosse (Wth of top 3.4-5m; max. D 1.9m) was filled with mid to dark brown silts and clays, from which no artefacts were recovered although there were some animal bones. There is an unexcavated causeway (Wth 3.8m) that is edged with stones on either side at NW (Halliday 2007, 18-22). The interior was cut by numerous ditches and gullies but there were also some corn-drying kilns and two souterrains. There were also numerous lengths of various ditches and pits. Recovered artefacts including bone combs, lignite bracelets, pins, iron knives, bone needles and unidentified iron objects suggest a date in the 8th to 11th century AD. Outside the ecclesiastical enclosure to the N numerous ditches intimate elements of a field system, and high medieval pottery, iron slag and fire-spots occurred over these silted features (ibid. 2007 23-26). A souterrain (ME045-004005-) is inside the ecclesiastical enclosure at its SW extremity, sitting neatly inside the angle where the fosse approaching from the S changes direction from ESE-WNW to SSW-NNE. It consisted of a passage (L c. 9.3m N-S; Wth 0.76-1m) which had a circular beehive chamber (int. diam. 3.2m) at the S end. Only the basal courses of the passage (max. H 0.68m) and chamber (max. H 1.32m) survived (ibid. 18-19). A second souterrain (ME045-004006-) was recorded by J. Kavanagh (excavations.ie 2006:1499) that was located to the SE of the first. A rectangular chamber (dims 4.2m x 3.4m) consisting of only the basal courses (max. H 0.4m) has a cross-wall (L 2.2m). It led to the slightly curving passage (L 17.4m) extending ESE, of which only the basal courses (H 0.3-0.9m) survived, but it had a metaled floor surface where it ran over an earlier silted ditch. The passage was roughly parallel with the S ditch of the ecclesiastical enclosure, and at the E end was a circular beehive chamber (int. diam. 3.2m) with drystone walls (max. H 1.7m). See the attached plan of the ecclesiastical enclosure from Kavanagh and Quine (2007, fig. 4) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 22 December 2021

• ME045-004005 Souterrain
  Description

  Situated in a fairly level landscape and c. 40m SW of Killegland graveyard (ME045-004001-). Archaeological testing (05E1321) by S. Halliday in advance of a housing development identified numerous archaeological features (excavations.ie 2006:1496). The area was further investigated (06E0871) by J. Kavanagh (excavations.ie 2006:1499) who sampled some of the features including this souterrain at the SW angle of the ecclesiastical enclosure (ME045-004004-). It is sitting neatly inside the angle where the fosse of the enclosure, approaching from the S changes direction from ESE-WNW to SSW-NNE. The souterrain consists of a passage (L c. 9.3m; Wth 0.76-1m) aligned N-S which had a circular beehive chamber (int. diam. 3.2m) at the S end. Only the basal courses of the passage (max. H 0.68m) and chamber (max. H 1.32m) survived. It is now preserved in the fallow area (radius c. 30m) around the graveyard. (Halliday 2007, 18-19) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 10 January 2022

• ME045-004006 Souterrain
  Description

  Situated in a level landscape S of Killegland church (ME045-004----). Archaeological testing (05E1321) by S. Halliday of Site I in advance of a housing development identified numerous archaeological features (exscavations.ie 2006:1496). The area was further investigated (06E0871) by J. Kavanagh (excavations.ie 2006:1499) who sampled some of the features. This souterrain was located c. 25m S of the graveyard. A rectangular entrance chamber (dims 4.2m x 3.4m) consisting of only the basal courses (max. H 0.4m) has a cross-wall (L 2.2m) with an opening on the N side. This chamber was probably always visible on the surface. It led to the slightly curving passage (L 17.4m) extending ESE, of which only the basal courses (H 0.3-0.9m) survived, but it had a metaled floor surface where it ran over a silted ditch. The passage was roughly parallel with the S ditch of the ecclesiastical enclosure (ME045-004004-), and at the E end was a circular beehive chamber (int. diam. 3.2m) with drystone walls (max. H 1.7m). No artefacts were recovered from the souterrain, but It is now preserved in the fallow area (radius c. 30m) around the graveyard. (Halliday 2007, 18-19) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 22 December 2021

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

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