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Meath
Boolies Little, Co. Meath
Early Medieval Unenclosed Souterrain and Cemetery
Grid reference: O04166548 (304166/265486)
SMR No: ME033-002
Excavation License No: N/A
Excavation duration/year: October – November 1980
Site director: D. Sweetman (Office of Public Works)
Excavation at Boolies Little occurred after the remains of a souterrain and burials were
discovered during land reclamation. The latter were located immediately to the east of the
souterrain and some of the burials had been interred before the souterrain was constructed.
It appears that both were unenclosed although the extent of excavation meant an enclosure
may have existed but was not detected. The site was on top of a low natural north-south
ridge.
The souterrain consisted of two almost intact chambers and a partly destroyed passage (Fig.
245). The souterrain passage was constructed with dry-stone walling with some larger
boulders placed towards the base. Roofing slabs were absent and had been removed in
antiquity. The passage was approximately 1m high but dropped suddenly by 0.5m at its
eastern end. This step-down was faced with stone walling and would have allowed someone
to stand upright before entering the chambers on either side to the left or right. This lower
area was almost square in plan and was 2m high and 1m wide. The walls narrowed slightly at
the top and were capped by a large flagstone. The only find associated with the passage was
a sherd of late medieval pottery from its upper fill which demonstrates that the souterrain
was abandoned prior to the thirteenth century.
The two chambers were directly south and north of the step-down area. Similarly to the
passage, they were of dry-stone construction with larger stones at the base. They were
corbelled towards the roof and were capped with flagstones. The entrances in both chambers
had a double lintel. Rounded cobbled stones were placed on the floor of both chambers and a
bone pin and a possible iron plough sock were discovered from under these in the south and
north chambers respectively. Another, more distinct, floor level was built over the stones in
the latter chamber and animal bone and some charcoal was present.
The remains of a small hearth were situated immediately north of the northern chamber. A
few bones and charcoal flecks were found scattered around it. No structural evidence was
identified.
The cemetery was located immediately to the east of the souterrain. Its southern chamber
destroyed the upper portion of three internments demonstrating that the cemetery was in
existence prior to the building of the souterrain. The burials were extended and orientated
west-east. The earliest burials were interred in shallow stone-lined graves and some had
secondary burials inserted over them. Some of the roof slabs rested on the bodies rather than
on the side slabs. Seven of the primary burials were male and nine were females. Just two
children were identified. A small number of items were associated with the primary and
secondary burials and included two bronze links and a bronze strip fragment.
Potential post medieval burials were interred above the primary and secondary burials in the
topsoil. These were in simple unlined graves and many were disturbed by later additions. A
halfpenny dating to 1737, nineteenth-century pottery and a piece of glass were found in
loose clay associated with this phase of burial activity.
In the absence of radiocarbon dates – but based on grave morphology – it can be deduced
that people were burying their dead in Boolies Little sometime during the fifth and sixth
centuries prior to the construction of the souterrain potentially a few centuries later. The
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