Archaeological Excavations at the Magdalene Tower, Drogheda, County Louth

County Louth Archaeological and History Society

Archaeological Excavations at the Magdalene Tower, Drogheda, County LouthAuthor(s): Donald MurphySource: Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, Vol. 24, No. 1(1997), pp. 75-128Published by: County Louth Archaeological and History SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27729811 .

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Archaeological Excavations at the

Magdalene Tower, Drogheda,

County Louth By Donald Murphy

Introduction

In the winter of 1993 Drogheda Corporation commenced the second stage of their programme of renovation at the Magdalene Tower, Drogheda [Moneymore townland; NGC 308909 275531; O.S. 6" Sheet 24:7:6 (66.5, 31.4); O.D. 35.13 metres, Fig. 1]. This involved landscaping around the base

of the tower and the laying down of a footpath. During the course of this work the apparent remains

of two articulated skeletons and other disarticulated remains were unearthed. After consultation with the Office of Public Works it was decided that the area should be archaeologically excavated.

Consequently, a small-scale excavation of the area was undertaken in February 1994 under Licence

No. 94E007 issued to the writer. The excavation was confined to the west side of the tower as the

footpath was already laid down on the other three sides. It is most likely that all the bone uncovered

during development came from a mass grave directly underneath the tower. At the end of the

nineteenth century skeletal remains found during excavations prior to the construction of houses on

the south side of the tower and fronting on to Upper Magdalene Street, were re-interred in this grave. A cutting 10m x 2m was opened directly in front of the tower on the west side while further west, four

other small trenches were opened at intermittent intervals (Fig. 2).

Historical Background

The site lies in the townland of Moneymore in Drogheda and is located on the northern rim of the town near Sunday's Gate and immediately adjoining the town wall. The tower is the only surviving remnant of the Dominican priory founded by Luke Netterville, Anglo-Norman archbishop of Armagh, and who is said to have been buried in their church in 1227. His successor, Patrick O'Scanlon who died in 1271, was also interred here. It is thought that there may have been an earlier church on the

site, a chapel of St Mary Magdalene being referred to in circa 1206 in the same vicinity (Bradley 1978,

116). In the same year there is a reference to a hospital in the precinct of the priory which was moved to a location outside the East Gate (Brooks 1953, 63). Once established the Dominican priory gained considerable status despite the order's emphasis on poverty and a severe life. From 1253 right up to their suppression in 1540, they received an annual alms from the king of England (Fenning 1978, 15). Between 1266 and 1274 the community was also active in preaching and collecting alms for the seventh Crusade, a rather hopeless venture on which Prince Edward set out in 1270 (Fenning 1978,

15). In 1348 the bubonic plague known as the Black Death reached Ireland from the East and it took the Pale almost two centuries to recover from the disaster. Just how much this affected the Dominican

priory is not known, but during this time the priory along with other orders in the town was bitterly attacked by Archbishop Fitzralph (later known as St Richard of Dundalk), for corruption and for

forgetting all their ideals. It was no secret that many Anglo-Norman clergy did not consider it at all sinful to kill an Irishman (Fenning 1978, 16).

Not long after the death of Archbishop Fitzralph, Lady Joan Fleming, wife of Lord Travers, and

75



Patrick Street v?-^t?T~]M~^^ / A"

Ir f LineofTown Wall I /^^^""""""- ^^^ ^^^ J A I |

!|fp--___ I I I Pri?ry Cemetery-3^*/ / /^^ |

Priory P^chTcr ^-^^^^T^T-"~~-^T_l

Fig. 1. Location of site.



Excavations at Magdalene Tower, Drogheda 11

Tower

I 3 I

-Site boundary

rr?i

<^H

rZ] 13th century

]14th/15th century

10 Metres

Fig. 2. Site plan showing areas excavated.



78 County Louth Archaeological and Historical Journal

Lady Margaret Birmingham, wife of Lord Preston, were both buried in St Magdalene's in 1361. These

events testify to the growing wealth and influence of the community, as these families were

benefactors of the priory. In 1394 the priory had a royal visitor, Richard II of England. Richard, hoping that his royal presence might make an impression on the Irish rebels, was quite successful. The priory

was the scene of the submission of four Irish kings including Niall Og O'Neill, O'Hanlon, MacDonnell

and MacMahon (Fenning 1978, 16). At much the same time indulgences were granted to all who

should visit St Magdalene's and give alms towards its repair. In 1401 Pope Boniface granted another

indulgence of seven years for the same purpose. The Magdalene Tower may well have been built on

the strength of these indulgences. The Earl of Desmond and Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1463 to 1467

was beheaded in Drogheda and was buried at St Magdalene's. The body was later removed, probably to be re-interred in Christ Church in 1570 by order of Sir Henry Sydney, or as according to the Four

Masters was buried in Tralee (D'Alton 1844, i, 126). The same parliament which killed the Great Earl

took note of the fact in 1468 that the Dominican priory at Drogheda was 'ruinous' and ordered the

corporation of Dublin to subsidise the community at the rate of ten marks a year. Clearly the priory was going into decline, this time never to recover. It was abruptly suppressed in 1540 and three years

later was surrendered by the last prior, Peter Lewis. There was little to surrender save a few parks and

gardens as the church and most of the dorter had already fallen down by 1540 (White 1943, 244). The priory precinct seems to have been quite substantial and Newcomen's map of 1657 shows

an enclosed area between Upper Magdalene Street and Patrick Street adjoining the town wall. The

tower was presumably between the nave and chancel of the church. It has a high pointed arch on each

side with groined vaulting. The windows of the belfry stage are twin-lighted with transom and Y

shaped tracery. Access to the upper stages was via a stair in a projecting square turret on the north

west side. The burials excavated by Etienne Rynne in the vicinity of Magdalene Tower were perhaps

part of the priory cemetery (Rynne 1959). Burials to the east of the present tower were also uncovered

by Andrew Halpin during his excavations in 1991. A number of line-impressed floor-tiles of fifteenth

century date has been found, some of which have affinities with examples in the Chester area (Anon.

1950). A tile kiln was also discovered by Kieran Campbell in 1985 to the west of the tower. The

Magdalene Tower, previously accepted to be of fifteenth-century date, was probably constructed in the

latter half of the fourteenth century or the turn of the fifteenth century.

The Excavation

The excavation took place in a small area immediately west of the tower which is now

landscaped and open to the public. Essentially, the entire area here would have been within the nave

of the church belonging to the priory. One large trench ( 10m x 2m) was opened directly at the west

base of the tower with small extensions at the northern and southern ends around the corner of the

tower. This trench was excavated to the natural subsoil as quite an amount of material was to be

removed from this area. Four other small trenches were opened further to the west (Fig. 2) along the

supposed line of the nave wall but were not excavated to natural as these areas were to remain largely

undisturbed by the development. The excavation revealed quite substantial evidence for the church and its development between

the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. Traces of both the north and south nave walls were recovered

together with a later doorway, north aisle and south transept. Within and just outside the south wall of

the nave, several burials were recovered, some of which clearly pre-dated the erection of the tower

and some which post-dated it. Some of the burials were in simple graves, while one was in a stone

lined grave, and two other individuals were in the same mortar-lined grave together with quite an

amount of disarticulated bone, indicating re-use of this grave. A second mortar-lined grave was

discovered empty and disturbed by a later stone-lined grave and the north wall of the nave. Quite an




amount of post-medieval disturbance had also taken place on the site and took the form of an L-shaped trench and associated loosely-constructed wall. Finds discovered included inlaid and line-impressed tiles, several pottery fragments and other items found in association with the burials.

Summary of Excavation

Before our arrival on the site, over 60cm of material had been excavated from the area around

the tower. A layer of gravel, 30cm thick and 2m wide, had been placed on all four sides of the tower

and acted as the foundation for the block path which had already been laid on the north, south and east

sides of the tower. At the west side of the tower the excavation began with the removal of this gravel (Fl) which was mixed with a lot of loose soil disturbed by the developers. From this disturbed level

quite an amount of human disarticulated remains was recovered together with medieval and post

medieval pottery sherds, line-impressed (Fig. 15) and inlaid floor-tiles, several clay pipe fragments, several fragments of glass bottles and a fragment of a roof ridge-tile (94E007:1:234). The

disarticulated remains represented a minimum of 9 adults, at least 5 of which were male and 3 were

female.

Below this disturbed layer in the south end of the trench was a layer of dark brown soil (F2) about 12cm in depth (Fig. 3). This layer also represented disturbance in the recent past but clearly not

by the present development. Over the remainder of Cutting 1 was a slightly lighter brown soil (F3) about 20cm in maximum depth. This too was a disturbed layer with an amount of post-medieval pottery in it as well as some clay pipe stems and a fragment of a glass bottle. This layer contained quite a lot of medieval floor-tiles (Fig. 15), all disturbed. This is not unusual as F3 was within the nave of

the church and just above a medieval floor level.

Within F2 near the south end of Cutting 1 was a spread of stones (F4) averaging about 20cm in

size (Fig. 3). A badly-worn bronze coin (94E007:4:1), 1.7cm in diameter, was discovered amongst these stones and despite conservation, no detail was revealed on the coin which could help in an

identification.

Directly below F3 and within the two nave walls was an 8cm thick mortar surface (F5). It was

defined at its northern edge by two long stones (F17) which turned out to be the threshold of a

doorway (Fig. 3). At its southern end it was cut by Burial 1 (F6) and on the east by a mass grave (F7). On the west it was cut by a trench (F8) and the remainder was probably cut away by the disturbance

represented by F3. This mortar surface sat directly on a light brown layer (F9) which almost certainly represents a 14th/15th-century layer inside the church. The line of F5 could clearly be seen on the west

wall of the tower (Fig. 9) where some line-impressed floor-tiles were still in situ. F5 almost certainly therefore represents a 14th/15th-century floor surface on which the floor-tiles would have been set. It

was put in at the same time as the north doorway (Fl7) and after the tower had been built.

Burial 1 (F6) cut through F5 near its south end just inside the nave wall (Fig. 4). The grave was

clay cut and 15cm deep, and was filled with brown soil containing some line-impressed floor-tiles

(94E007:6:2-5) and a small iron object (94E007:6:1), presumably the head of a nail perhaps

suggesting there had been a coffin. The grave also cut into F9 and was itself disturbed by F3 and F4

resulting in quite an amount of disturbance to the burial itself. The burial was of an adult female about

158cm in height and showing signs of osteoarthritis (see Human Bone Report below). It was

orientated E-W and had been cut just above the knee joint and there were no traces of the arms, upper

legs or skull though some of the ribs and spine were still present. Burial 1 post-dates the construction

of the tower as is evidenced from the fact that the cut for the burial is visible above the foundations of the tower (Figs. 4-5) and the fact that it cuts F5. However it is not altogether clear whether the burial

is late medieval or post-medieval. Its position just inside the south wall of the nave may suggest that

it was put in when the church was still standing. This is reinforced by the finds from the grave fill




Nave Wall -

Nave Wall

F37

F8 V F9 F2

F37 JrJ5'

F37

<^52

3 Metres

Fig. 3. General plan of upper level features including post-medieval trench (F8) and

14th/15th century interior horizon (F9).




F37

^tysSS?, F8 ? w

F37 - <3

c F21

IS F9

c F14

<^

Mortar 3 Metres

Fig. 4. Plan of burials 1-3 (F6, Fll, F16), north transept wall (F29), south transept wall

(F43), threshold (F17) and disturbed stone- and mortar-lined graves (F39-40).




which indicate a late 14th/15th-century date for the burial.

Directly underneath the tower and cutting F5 on its east side was the edge of an apparently large cut (F7) containing a large amount of disarticulated bone (Fig. 3). This feature almost certainly

represents a large grave that was dug between 1890 and 1900 for the purpose of re-interring skeletons

discovered during the construction of nearby houses. A monument underneath the tower

commemorates the re-interment. This feature was not fully excavated as all the burials within it were

out of context and disarticulated and the grave itself would have destroyed all archaeological

stratigraphy underneath the tower. The disarticulated bone recovered from the upper levels of F7

included the remains of at least 19 adults, 1 child and 1 infant (see Human Bone Report below). An L-shaped trench (F8) was uncovered along the north-west side of Cutting 1 and extending

westwards into Cuttings 3, 4 and 5 (Fig. 3). This trench cut F5 and some of the north wall of the nave

(F21) and was about 50cm deep in Cutting 1, gradually getting more shallow until it finally

disappeared altogether in Cutting 5. The purpose of the trench is unknown but quite an amount of

18th/19th-century material was recovered from the fill including clay pipes and various ceramic

wares. It may be associated with the loosely-constructed wall (F37) which occurs to the north and also

appears to be of 18th/19th-century date.

A light brown layer (F9), that covered the entire area between the north nave wall and the south

end of the cutting (Fig. 4), was uncovered below F5. It appears to have covered the north nave wall

(Fig. 8) but is clearly below the threshold (F17) of the north doorway. It also extended over the south

nave wall (F14) and into what must have been a south transept. The depth of the layer ranged from 5

20cm and contained quite an amount of inlaid floor-tile fragments and only a few line-impressed tiles

(Fig. 14) indicating a 14th- or early 15th-century date for the layer. This layer post-dates the

construction of the tower indicating a date for the tower somewhere between 1350 and 1410. The

tower may have been built by the priory's benefactors at this time, the Preston family, one of whom

was buried in the church in 1361. F9 was also uncovered in Cuttings 2, 3, 4 and 5. It does not appear to have extended outside the north wall of the nave indicating perhaps that the north nave wall was

standing when the layer built up or was brought in. On the south side of the church however, F9

extended further south than the nave wall indicating that a transept or side chapel was formerly present here. Further evidence for this can be seen in the remains of a sandstone arch still visible in the SW

corner of the tower. This arch must have given access to a south transept or side chapel. F9 almost

certainly represents a layer within the church as it was in the latter part of the 14th century or the early

part of the 15th (Fig. 11). Burial 2 (Fll) occurred near the south end of Cutting 1 and lay undisturbed with an E-W

orientation (Fig. 4). The burial was cut into F9 and the grave was 20cm deep. It contained the remains

of an older adult male, 166cm in height with signs of severe osteoarthritis. In addition 4 ribs were

fractured and had healed (see Human Bone Report below). It is obvious that this individual was

subjected to hard manual work as a young man. There was no evidence for a coffin and finds from the

fill of the grave included 2 mosaic tiles of 13 th/14th-century date (94E007:11:2-3), a strap handle from

a jug of 13th/early 14th-century date (94E007:11:4), a sherd from a bowl or storage vessel of uncertain

date (94E007:11:5) and what is possibly a silver ingot (94E007:11:1). These finds in the fill of the

grave would suggest a 14th/15th-century date for the burial, sometime after the construction of the

tower and the south transept or chapel. The burial was extended with the hands across the pelvis. The

right leg was stretched over to meet the left foot. The skull was slightly tilted to the south and the

mouth was wide open. The condition of the bone was quite good. The proximity, alignment and finds

from the fill of this burial would seem to suggest contemporaneity with Burials 1 and 3.

A fairly compact light brown layer, 10cm in depth (F12) was uncovered between the north nave

wall (F21) and a second wall (F29) in the northern end of Cutting 1 (Figs. 3-4). From the finds within

F12, it would appear to have been contemporary with F9 inside the church.




A portion of the remains of the original 13th-century nave wall was exposed (F14) which

extended to a maximum depth of 50cm (Fig. 7). It consisted of a square-shaped stone platform with a

much thinner extension to the east towards the tower and to the west into Cutting 2. To the east, it

seems to have been cut by the tower foundations. The platform is most likely the foundation pad for an arch, over half of which is still visible in the nave wall immediately south of the tower. An

examination of this part of the south nave wall revealed that it had no foundations. It would appear therefore that the original 13th-century south wall of the nave had blind arcading, hence the thinner

section of wall extending from the stone platform to the east and west (Fig. 11). Later in the medieval

period when the tower was built, the blind arcade next the tower was built up (hence no foundations), and a new sandstone arch was put in the S W corner of the tower which gave access to the new south

transept. It is unlikely that the early arches represent the remains of a south aisle as the burials come

right into the south wall of the nave and in the case of Burial 4 even into the blind arcade.

Burial 3 (Fl 6) was an extended inhumation of a juvenile with an E-W orientation above F14 and

cut through F9 (Fig. 4). The skull and left arm were missing due to disturbance from above and the

legs were flexed at the knees. The right hand was across the pelvis and presumably the left hand was

also originally in this position. The grave was only 7cm in depth. Quite a few fragments of floor-tiles

were recovered from the fill of this burial (94E007:16:l-7), 6 of which were of the same design (L6; Eames and Fanning 1988, 119) indicating a 14th/15th-century date and therefore contemporary with

Burials 1 and 2.

The threshold of a doorway (F17) was uncovered in Cutting 1 along the north wall of the nave

(Figs. 4 and 8). It appeared to be sitting directly on F9 and was contemporary with F5, the mortar floor.

A plain green mosaic tile (94E007:17:1) was found in the mortar holding the threshold in place. The

threshold consisted of two stones with a combined length of over lm and a splay to the north. In

addition to the threshold, three stones of the east jamb were also visible. The remainder of the

threshold was disturbed by the post-medieval trench (F8). The doorway represented by this threshold

would appear to be late 14th/early 15th century in date and not part of the original 13th-century church. The doorway here divides F9 and F5, the interior horizons, from F12 outside the church. The

doorway presumably led into the cloister or domestic range of the priory which stood to the north of

the church (Fig. 12). A thin layer (4cm) of mortar (F18) was exposed below F9 and was confined to a small area just

south of the north wall of the nave. It predated the threshold (Fig. 8) and was probably contemporary with the early north wall of the nave (F21).

Several patches of dark brown soil, 2-3cm thick (F19) were exposed sitting directly on F20 (Fig.

8). These patches do not seem to be very significant and no finds were recovered from the layer. A relatively deep (30-40cm) and consistent layer of mottled brown dry soil was exposed directly

below F9 and covering the entire area between the north nave wall and the south end of the cutting

(F20). The layer appears to have been brought in to fill up the interior of the church and was not

disturbed or cut by any burials. It did however contain an amount of disarticulated bone suggesting that this material was removed from an area where burial had taken place. The 5 sherds of pottery recovered from this layer were of 13th/early 14th-century date. Also present in the layer was a

substantial number of inlaid and line-impressed floor-tiles (Fig. 14) with the inlaid tiles being more

prominent. A date for the layer sometime during the 14th/early 15th century is probable and may

represent one of the construction phases of the church. It would appear to be slightly later than the

construction of the tower and south transept and therefore was probably brought in immediately prior to F9. F20 covered Burials 4 and 5 (F23) and 7 and 8 (F34) and is the initial phase of the use of the

church after the construction of the tower and south transept. As such it marks the divide between the

13th/14th-century church with north aisle and the 14th/15th-century church with its tower, south

transept and north doorway.




The foundations of the original 13th-century north nave wall (F21) were uncovered near the

northern end of Cutting 1 (Figs. 5-6) and they continued into Cuttings 3 and 4, though here they were

cut into by the post^medieval trench (F8). The foundations were quite substantial in all three cuttings but only those in Cutting 1 were excavated where they were shown to pre-date F20. A trench for the

foundations backfilled with small stones had been made into F32, the fill of an earlier ditch (Fig. 9). The foundations were about lm deep here. The foundation continued into Cuttings 3 and 4 where only the bottom courses were visible below the trench (F8). In Cutting 5, traces of a wall with apparently no foundations were visible immediately below Fl (Fig. 3) and in line with F21. The wall here

disturbed a burial in a mortar-lined grave (F40) and the northern part of a stone-lined grave (F39). From finds within F39 af?d F40, a 14th-century date can be arrived at for these two graves indicating the wall above them to be later.

It is most likely therefore that the 13th-century north wall of the nave had one or more arches

presumably dividing the nave from a north aisle (Fig. 11). Apparently, these two burials were placed under one of these arches and later in the medieval period, presumably when the tower was built in

the 14th/ 15th century, the north aisle was knocked and the ajrches in the north wall of the nave blocked

up and a doorway (F17) inserted. The blocked-up arches would not need substantial foundations as

has already been seen with regard to the blocked-up arch of the south nave wall adjoining the tower.

Therefore two different building phases can be seen in relation to the north wall of the nave (Fig. 10), the first of which is represented by a 13th-century nave with north aisle and the second by a 14th/15th

century nave with north doorway, the north aisle having been demolished. Burial 4 (F23) was discovered between the foundation pad of the south nave wall (F14) and the

tower foundations (Fig. 5). The grave reached a maximum depth of 34cm and was cut into natural

(F27). The burial was of a juvenile aged 11-13 years (see Human Bone Report below) and was cut just below the hips by the foundations of the tower indicating a pre-15th-century date for the burial. Also

missing was the skull though 2 skulls were found together nearby and 1 may in fact have belonged to

the burial. It is unlikely that this end of the burial was disturbed by the foundation pad for the 13th

century nave wall (F14) as no cut was visible for the pad into the fill of the burial. The arms of the

burial (orientated E-W) were by the side and the bone was very brittle. The finds from the fill of this

grave included fragments of 3 nails, perhaps indicating the former presence of a coffin, as well as a

pottery sherd of 13th/14th-century date (94E007:23:5). An architectural fragment of sandstone

(94E007:23:6) and a pig's tooth (94E007:23:3) were also recovered from the fill. The burial would

appear to have been in a simple grave perhaps with coffin and its alignment and similarity with Burial

6 would suggest that these two were contemporary. A date in the 13th/14th century is likely for the

burial. Both this burial and Burial 6 were sealed by F20, a layer of late 14th/15th-century date. It is most likely that Burial 4 was put in after the foundation pad (F14) for the 13th-century arch and was

therefore buried directly outside the south wall of the church in one of the blind arcades. The cemetery

belonging to the priory is known to have come right around to the south side of the church as several

burials were discovered when the houses were being built along Upper Magdalene Street (Rynne 1959).

Below Burial 4 were several arm bones representing the remains of at least 2 juveniles (Burial

5). The layer itself (F23) contained the disarticulated remains of at least another 4 juveniles (see Human Bone Report below). This would suggest that up to 7 juveniles were buried in this blind arcade

immediately outside the nave during the 13th/14th centuries.

A small dump of stones (4-5cm thick) was exposed in the centre of Cutting 1 (Fig. 5) sitting directly on the boulder clay (F24). It is probably part of F25 which is a dark brown layer with stones

(Figs. 5-6). A 5-10cm thick layer of humic brown clay was exposed and contained Burial 6 (Fig. 6) and 2

skulls. The layer was confined to the southern portion of Cutting 1 inside the nave wall. It would




appear to be the remains of a relatively early layer within the church which was disturbed by later

activity. Burial 6, a young adult male 162cm in height, had an E-W orientation and was cut by the tower foundations and was also apparently disturbed from above as the entire pelvis area is missing.

The arms were still present by the side and the right hand may have been on the pelvis though both

hands were missing. The burial was cut into the natural boulder clay and finds from the layer in which

this burial was present indicate a 13th/14th-century date for the burial. Four fragments of nails

(94E007:25:1-2,4-5) may indicate the former presence of a coffin and 2 fragments of what appears to

be a double-sided iron comb (94E007:25:6-7) were also present in the layer but not in direct

association with the burial.

The natural boulder clay (Figs. 6,7), orange/brown in colour and very stony (F27), was exposed

directly below F25.

A substantial cut (F28) into the natural (Figs. 7, 9) was exposed directly under the north wall of

the nave (F21). It has the appearance of a ditch (lm deep and 4m wide at the top) running in an E-W

direction. The fill of this ditch (F32) was very sterile and contained 1 sherd of non-local 13th/early

14th-century pottery (94E007:32:2) and an unidentifiable tile fragment with mottled green and black

glaze (94E007:32.T). A date for the feature somewhere in the early 13th century is likely. The

proximity of this 'ditch' and the fact that it is parallel to the town wall may indicate this to be an early defensive feature in the northern end of the town. When the priory was built, this 'ditch' may have been

filled and the town wall built further to the north. No traces of post-holes were visible on either side

of the feature though on the south side the 'ditch' appeared to have a stepped effect (Fig. 9). The foundations of a wall (F29) were uncovered heading northwards from the tower (Fig. 5).

This wall could be the original east wall of the north aisle or the west wall of a stairwell leading to the

tower doorway. Its alignment with F43 to the south of the tower (Fig. 5) suggests contemporaneity with it. F43 would appear to belong to the same period as the tower, i.e., 14th/15th century. The wall

(F29) is not as wide as the nave wall (F21) suggesting that they may not be contemporary and

therefore F29 is most likely the west wall of a stairwell leading to the tower doorway constructed

during the 14th/15th century. The east end of the original north aisle is more likely to have been at the

east end of the tower. The foundations which extended to a maximum depth of 1 m appeared to have

been cut at some stage next the tower and patched up. The foundations cut into F32, the fill of the

ditch (F28). A small pit, F30 (Fig. 5) about 15cm deep was dug into the corner of this wall next the tower,

the purpose of which is unknown.

A pit filled with stones (F31) was uncovered immediately west of F29 which appeared to act as

a buttress or foundation for F29 (Fig. 5). It was cut into F32, the fill of the ditch and was about 60cm

in maximum depth. A sterile grey sticky layer (F32) filled F28, the ditch-like feature (Fig. 6). It appears to have been

brought in especially for the purpose of filling the ditch and a pottery sherd recovered from it would

suggest this was done in the early 13th century. The bone recovered from this material consisted

entirely of animal bone.

A mortar-lined grave (F34) was exposed at the southern end of Cutting 1 outside the nave wall.

The grave was cut into the natural boulder clay and contained Burial 7 and a substantial amount of

disarticulated bone. Also in the same grave and directly below Burial 7 was a second burial (Burial 8,

F41). The large quantity of disarticulated bone in the fill of this grave suggests that the grave was re

used over a period of time. The disarticulated remains of at least 12 adults and 6 juveniles were

recovered from the fill of this grave (F34 and F41). At least 4 were male and 3 were female. Re-use

of the grave over a period of time also seems to have been the case with the other mortar-lined grave on the site (F40) and indeed on other sites in Ireland where mortar-lined graves occur. The grave fill

also contained several inlaid floor-tiles and 1 line-impressed floor-tile (Fig. 15), as well as 2 pottery




Nave Wall -

F20

Nave Wall

Tower

F7

Tower Foundations

F25 C&F23 ?y '

F14

m?wmuE cu V** e4*" F8 -

?F370?Û)p -^ F9

*? w S) ^ rSi c?0

c F21

l??*^Wo OTj^J F9 ?Z.V?? ^foâj

F14

vS

ZfBu.10

3 Metres

Fig. 5. Plan of burials 4, 9 & 10, north (F21) & south (F14) nave walls and pit (F31).




Nave Wall -

Tower

F7

Nave Wall

/

F27

mortar-lined grave -

&&&**" Y

&L**-l

TT

lv^*W*>m%!!l -F14

vS

mortar lined grave (disturbed)

Sfone-lined grave

3 Metres

Fig. 6. Plan of burials 5, 6 & 7 (in mortar-lined grave) and ditch fill (F32).




sherds, 1 of 13th/14th-century date, and the second (94E007:34:16), a base sherd, probably from a

costrel of Merida-type pottery of 15th/16th-century date.

The grave itself (Figs. 6-7) was about 2m long and about lm wide externally and about 40cm

deep. There is a semicircular recess at the west for the head. Part of the north and east sides of the

grave appears to have been cut, presumably by the tower when it was being built. A date for the grave somewhere in the 14th century prior to the building of the tower is likely. This would fit in with the

dates for the other 2 mortar-lined graves on the site, one in Cutting 5 which is pre-1500 and a second

in the priory cemetery excavated by Andrew Halpin in 1991 which is of probable 13th/14th-century date (Halpin and Buckley 1995, 197). Burial 7, the upper burial in the grave (Fig. 6), was the complete extended inhumation of a middle-aged female with the right arm by the side and the left arm crossed over the pelvis. The skeleton showed signs of arthritis (see Human Bone Report below) and the skull

was lying on its side facing south. A badly-decayed shell fragment (94E007:34:22) was found in direct

association with this burial on the sternum. It was a fragment of a common European oyster (Ostrea

edulis) and may have been used as a pendant. The finds recovered from the fill of this grave suggest a 14th/15th-century date for the burial, probably after the south transept was constructed. Since Burial

7 is complete, it is very likely that this burial was the last one to take place in this grave. A loosely-constructed foundation (F37) was uncovered along the north side of F8 in Cuttings 3,

4 and 5 (Fig. 3). The foundations reached a maximum depth of 50cm. A pottery sherd of post-medieval date (94E007:37:1 ) was found among the stones and it is quite possible that this wall is associated with

the post-medieval trench (F8). A stone-lined grave (F39) containing a burial was exposed below F21 in Cutting 5 (Fig. 5). The

north wall of the grave had been disturbed, presumably by the construction of the wall above. From

the fill of the grave, 3 inlaid tile fragments (94E007:39:1,5,7) were recovered, together with 3 stone

moulding fragments (94E007:39:8-10) and 4 plaster fragments (94E007:39:2-4,6). The grave which was about 50cm in maximum depth disturbed the south wall of an earlier mortar-lined grave (F40).

The burial within this grave (Burial 9; Fig. 5) was a complete and fully-extended inhumation of a middle-aged male, 171cm in height, orientated E-W with both arms folded across the pelvis. The

lower legs extended into the east baulk and were left in position. Two items were found in direct

association with this burial and in association with each other. These items were both of copper-alloy construction and consisted of a buckle (94E007:39:11) and strap tag (94E007:39:12) (Fig. 14). The

buckle appeared to have been gilded and both were similarly decorated with incised lines. Both

objects were found on the upper right thigh of the burial where they most likely formed part of the

Breke belt which was fashionable during the 14th century. Another buckle was found in a similar

context in the excavations conducted by Andrew Halpin in 1991 in the priory cemetery (Halpin and

Buckley 1995, 194). The burial which showed signs of severe osteoarthritis (see Human Bone Report

below) would appear to be of 14th-century date indicating that the mortar-lined grave (F40) which it

cut was slightly earlier, perhaps 13th/early 14th century. This mortar-lined grave (F40) was also badly disturbed by later medieval (F21) and post

medieval (F37) building activity on the site and therefore it is not surprising that the grave contained no articulated burial. It did however contain quite an amount of disarticulated bone similar to F34 as

well as a recess for the head. The disarticulated remains of at least 4 adults (2 male and 1 female) and

1 juvenile (aged 8-10 years at time of death) were recovered (see Human Bone Report below). The

grave was also similar in size to F34 (Figs. 6-7). A single sherd of 14th-century pottery was recovered

from the fill of F40 indicating the grave was constructed prior to this date. Three 13th/14th-century floor-tiles were also recovered from the fill. Presumably the burial or burials that were present here

were disturbed sometime during the early 14th century by the stone-lined grave (F39) and during the

later 14th/early 15th century by the nave wall of the church (F21 ). Burial 8 (F41) was directly below Burial 7 (Fig. 7) and was partly disturbed presumably by




Burial 7. The right arm was missing as was the skull. The right arm was recovered amongst the

disarticulated bone from the grave (F34) and though a number of skulls were also recovered a positive identification of the skull of Burial 8 could not be made. The hands were placed across the pelvis. The

burial was sitting directly on the floor of the grave which consisted of the natural boulder clay embedded with mortar fragments, presumably representing the construction of the grave. The burial

was of an older adult male, 172cm in height with severe osteoarthritis, early stages of D.I.S.H. and

Paget's disease (see Human Bone Report below). The shoulders, elbows and wrists were the worst

affected by the osteo-arthritis suggesting an habitual activity involving the arms. The Paget's disease

was fairly developed and represents the second example of the disease from an Irish archaeological context, the other instance having been from an older adult female from St Audoen's in Dublin. The

high status of the grave indicates that this person commanded a lot of respect and probably received

a lot of care as he was incapacitated by the disease. A date for the burial is problematic. The first use

of this grave was probably for this burial (Burial 8) and presumably took place during the 13th/14th

century at which time the grave was within the priory cemetery. Later on during the 14th/15th century when the tower was built, a south transept was added above this grave and some of the grave was in

fact disturbed by the tower foundations and F43, the foundation of the east wall of the south transept. It is quite possible that Burial 8 represents a 13th/14th-century burial as is suggested by the 13th/14th

century tile fragments recovered from the fill and that the grave was re-used after the south transept was built, at which time Burial 7 (F34) was interred. What is not clear is whether or not the grave was

actually constructed in the first instance for the interment of Burial 8. The fact that the floor of the

grave was relatively undisturbed and that there was no disarticulated bone below Burial 8 may suggest that this burial was the first to take place in the grave. The grave was obviously re-used on several

occasions before Burial 7 was interred as is evidenced by the large amount of disarticulated bone in

the grave below and above Burial 7.

A brown soil (F42) was exposed to the immediate west of F34, south of F14 and above natural

(F27). It contained mostly disarticulated juvenile bones. Time did not permit further examination in

this area.

The foundations of what must have been the east wall of the 14th/15th- century south transept were exposed just south of the tower (Figs. 6-7) and reached a maximum depth of 45cm (F43). The

foundations here cut the east side of the mortar-lined grave (F34). The evidence for the 14th/15th

century date for the wall here comes from a combination of factors. The first of these is the fact that

the original 13th-century south nave wall next the tower contained an arch at this point and it is

unlikely F43 would meet the nave wall in the centre of an arch thus suggesting that F43 is not

contemporary with the 13th-century nave wall. F43 does appear, on the basis of the position of the

sandstone arch still visible in the SW corner of the tower, to be contemporary with it. The sandstone

arch starts just to the west of F43 and obviously formed an arch into this south transept or chapel (Fig.

11). Burial 10 (F44) was uncovered in Cutting 5 just to the south of F39, the stone-lined grave (Fig.

5). The burial was directly under F9, a 14th/15th-century layer inside the church. The burial itself was

of a juvenile and was minus its arms, shoulders and skull. The only find from the fill of the burial was

a body sherd from a vessel of local manufacture dating to the late 14th/15th century (94E007:44:1). It is quite probable therefore that this burial in a simple pit about 30cm deep was put in sometime prior to the construction of the tower, i.e., 13th/14th century, and was disturbed when either the stone-lined

grave (F39) was put in or when the north nave wall was rebuilt after the north aisle was demolished.

Discussion

Post-Medieval Disturbance

Shortly after excavation began it became obvious that quite a substantial amount of post




Nave Wall Nave Wall

Tower

F7

F28 -m ?11

-?razo 5? a*.. .

jF37?<5a?b* _^ F9

^

Bu.8 in

mortar-lined grave -

l^?V?^?CH^ T F14 CTp9

<Î

mortar-lined grave

% ? 3 Metres

Fig. 7. Plan of burial 8 (at bottom of mortar-lined grave) and ditch (F28).



S1 ri O Co ? Co b I

Fig. 8. Section through 13th century north wall of church (F21) and threshold of 14th/15th century doorway (F17).




medieval and modern disturbance had taken place on this site. Only a very small portion of what must

have been the 14th/15th-century mortar floor was still in situ and even here, no medieval floor-tiles were still present on its surface, though quite a large number was recovered from the disturbed layer above. Both within and outside the nave walls of the church, substantial interference had taken place not only from the present development but also from the gardens and potato patches which existed

here until the 1870s.

D'Alton writing his history of Drogheda in 1844 describes the Magdalene Tower as follows:

It stands, a solitary memorial of former greatness, on the highest spot of the town, and the

graveyard, consecrated by the dust of the most illustrious nobles and ecclesiastics, is now

incumbered with hovels and doled out in garden plots (D'Alton 1844, i,121).

Sixty years later Henry Morris referred to the fact that 'Up to 30 or 40 years ago the Magdalene Tower was entirely surrounded by mud cabins, whose potato patches were carried right up to the walls

of the ruin' (Morris 1906, 77). It was only in 1878 that the tower, together with a space of 4 feet all around it, was handed over

to the Corporation together with a right-of-way to it. In the course of time the cabins disappeared and

the space around it became an open commons. It was renovated by a local committee chaired by Fr

Coleman, himself a Dominican, in 1905 and railed in. Several portions of the tower were 'repaired' at

this time.

The gardens and potato patches referred to by D'Alton and Morris can be seen, represented in

the disturbed layer (originally up to 50cm deep) discovered during the excavation to the west side of

the tower (F2 and F3) and presumably existing on the other three sides. This layer contained quite an

amount of 18th- and 19th-century pottery as well as medieval pottery sherds and floor-tiles, the latter

presumably disturbed from the floor of the church which lay directly underneath F3.

Apart from the disturbed layers, two other features of post-medieval date were exposed on the

north side of the site. The first of these was an L-shaped trench (F8) which was first exposed in Cutting 1 where it ran in a N-S direction. It was later exposed running in a westerly direction from Cutting 1

through Cuttings 3 and 4 and finally terminating in Cutting 5. The purpose of this trench was unclear but it is possible that it could represent a foundation trench dug for one of the mud cabins referred to

above. In the portion of the trench running westerly it was associated with a loosely-constructed wall

foundation (F37) which may also represent the foundations of one of the mud cabins. From both these

features, a substantial amount of 18th- and 19th-century material was recovered including clay pipe

fragments, sherds of ceramic pottery as well as brown- and black-glazed earthenware. Two interesting finds were recovered from the fill of the trench (F8), both of which were conserved. The first of these

(94E007:8:86) consisted of a copper plate or strip, a little over 6cm in length, which was doubled and

beaten together. There was a small triangular projection from one side and a distinctive bend near one

end which is probably original. It probably represents part of a measuring instrument like a barometer

and of 18th/19th-century date. The second find (94E007:35:1) was a long bolt-like object with a spiral around the stem, and hollow head, probably a drill bit and is also of 18th/19th-century date. Both the

trench and wall disturbed significant archaeological strata below. The trench cut through the threshold

(F17) and mortar floor (F5) of the 14th/15th-century church as well as through the 13th-century north

nave wall (F21).

Directly underneath the tower was a mass grave (F7) which was dug between 1890 and 1900 for

the purpose of re-interring skeletons discovered during the construction of nearby houses. A monument below the tower commemorates the re-interment. Due to the fact that this grave contained

nothing more than disarticulated bone and would in any case have destroyed any archaeological stratigraphy beneath the tower, it was felt excavation of this feature was not a priority.




What is evident therefore from the excavation is that substantial post-medieval disturbance took

place on the site which effectively destroyed all post-15th-century archaeology. All that remained on

the site were the undisturbed layers below the 14th/15th-century floor level.

Evidence for the Church

Substantial evidence was retrieved during the excavation for the church and its development. The Archaeological Survey of County Louth (Buckley and Sweetman 1991, 245-7) gives an early

15th-century date for the tower based on the treatment of the stonework in the windows and the

doorway to the stairwell. Leask (1960, 134) also used the windows to arrive at a date for the tower

and placed them in the early part of the 14th century. An examination of the windows, which was

carried out as part of this project, revealed the fact that quite a number of them had 13th-century decoration on them and were obviously re-used. Based on results from the present excavation it is

more than likely that the tower was built during the latter half of the 14th century or at the very least

not later than 1410.

From the excavation, two distinct phases were recognised in the development of the church (Fig.

11). The first of these began in the 13th century with the original church. Traces of the nave of this

13th-century church (Fig. 10) were recovered along with indications that there must have originally been a north aisle. The remains of the south nave wall consisted of a roughly square-shaped stone

platform (F14) which most likely formed the foundation pad for an arch, over half of which is still

visible in the nave wall along the south face of the tower, though now built up. An examination of this

part of the nave wall revealed that there were no foundations here, indicating that it was indeed

blocked up at a date later than construction. Extending east and west from the north side of the

foundation pad was a much thinner section of wall c. 30cm thick which almost certainly represents blind arcading (Fig. 10). It is probable therefore that the south wall of the nave had blind arcading in

the 13th century and that the priory cemetery came right up to this wall of the church at that time.

Evidence for the north wall of the nave (F21) was also recovered in Cuttings 1, 4 and 5. In each

cutting they were disturbed by the post-medieval trench (F8) but the remains were still quite substantial in Cuttings 1 and 4 where fairly deep foundations were present obviously representing the

13th-century wall. In Cutting 5 however, no foundations were present but the outline of a wall was

visible immediately below Fl and in line with F21. The wall here disturbed a mortar- and stone-lined

grave of 13th/14th-century date implying the wall above to be somewhat later. It is highly likely therefore that the 13th-century north wall of the nave had one or more arches presumably dividing the

nave from a north aisle (Fig. 11). The two 13th/14th-century burials must have been placed under one

of the arches and later in the medieval period, presumably when the tower was built in the 14th/15th

century, the north aisle was knocked and the arches in the north wall of the nave blocked up. The

blocked-up arches would not need foundations as has already been seen with regard to the blocked

up arch of the south nave wall adjoining the tower.

During the late 14th century another phase of church building began. This included the

demolition of the north aisle, the blocking up of the arches in the north nave wall and the filling up of

at least one blind arcade in the south nave wall, i.e., that next the tower. The tower itself was built at

this time, the foundations of which cut several burials as well as part of the south nave wall. A

doorway was constructed along the west side of the tower in the north nave wall and the threshold and

lower jamb of this doorway were recovered during the excavation (F17). This doorway presumably led to the cloister (Fig. 12) and stairwell which was constructed on the north side of the tower to allow

access to the belfry (Fig. 11). The west wall of this stairwell (F29) was also uncovered. The outline of

this wall can be seen in the masonry on the north face of the tower. It reached to a height just above

the doorway in the tower. Presumably this stairwell was quite small, its east wall being parallel and in

line with the east side of the tower. The remains of a wall can actually be seen leading northwards



3 Metres

Fig. 9. Elevation along west side to tower, showing profile of earlier ditch (F28).




z 13th century

TOWER

14th/15th century-.

NAVE

?

<^2

3 Metres

Fig. 10. Plan of structural evidence recovered.




from the north-east corner of the tower. This wall presumably represents the original eastern wall of

the 13th-century north aisle and the eastern wall of the later 14tfr-century stairwell.

Substantial development also took place on the south side of the church during the later 14th

century. A small transept or chapel seems to have been built just at the south-west corner of the tower.

The remains of a sandstone arch which would have led into this transept or chapel are still visible in

the south-west corner of the tower. This arch was clearly shown during the excavation to be sitting on

the original tower foundations so cannot be earlier than the late 14th century. The tower wall seems

to have been recessed about 50cm in order to construct this arch. The east wall of this south transept

(F43) was also discovered during the excavation and was seen to have cut an earlier mortar-lined

grave (F34). It would appear therefore that this south transept dates from roughly the same time period as the tower. The earliest layer which we can say with certainty to be later than the tower is F9 which

appears from the material recovered from it to date to the late 14th/early 15th century. In this regard it is interesting that in 1399 the priory

had a royal confirmation of its possessions and in the same year Pope Boniface IX granted the Portiuncula Indulgence to all the faithful who, after complying with the usual conditions,

gave a helping hand to the Dominicans of Drogheda, in repairing their church and the chapel of the Blessed Virgin attached to it (Kelly 1941, 33).

This indulgence was again renewed in 1401 and indicates that a certain amount of building

activity or reconstruction was taking place at this time. It is interesting that in 1399 there was a chapel of the Blessed Virgin attached to the church. Is it possible that this chapel is the one, part of which

was discovered to the south of the nave during the excavations? If this is the case, then the tower must

have been built before 1399 as the tower pre-dates the construction of the chapel. From a combination

of the historical references and the evidence gleaned from the excavation, it is highly likely that the

tower was constructed sometime between 1350 and 1410 with a higher probability of it having been

constructed in the latter half of the 14th century.

The Burials

Excavation in Cuttings 1 and 5 revealed substantial archaeology including human burials. Ten

burials have been recognised but vast quantities of disarticulated bone including numerous skulls were

also uncovered which represented a further minimum number of 42 individuals. We are fortunate that

evidence exists in the form of grave goods, grave types and structural remains which helps determine

both the dating of burials and hence their association with each other. The palaeo-pathologies of the

burials are dealt with later.

All the burials had an east-west orientation and in cases where the skull was absent, orientation

was decided by the position of other limbs. Three burials (Burials 2, 7 and 9) were complete, while 5

burials (Burials 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10) did not possess a skull. Of those burials, Burial 1 and Burial 5 were

far from complete; the arms, upper legs, hips and some ribs were absent in the case of Burial 1, while

Burial 5 contained the arms of at least 2 individuals and may actually just have been disarticulated

bone. Burial 6, while possessing a skull, was without any lower limbs including the hips, and even the

spine, ribs and arms were not present in their entirety. The right arm was absent in Burial 8, though it

was discovered amongst the disarticulated bone in F34, while both arms were absent in the case of

Burial 10. Burial 4 was interesting in that the legs appeared to have been truncated by the foundations

for the tower.

In all cases the burials were laid out in an extended position. The only visible difference was the

position of the arms and the hands. Where evidence survived, it was recorded that 3 burials (Burials

2, 3 and 8) had the hands resting across the pelvis. It was also noted that 3 examples (Burials 1, 4 and




7) had the hands resting by the sides. Burial 9 was the only example where one hand was found

stretched across the abdomen and the other across the pelvis. Such a position may be accidental and

due to the slippage of one arm.

The dating of any burial is not without problems. Few artefacts accompanied the burials, so in

many instances we must examine pottery sherds found in the primary fill of the grave. The position of graves, and their relationship with existing structures such as the church foundations and the tower

base, can shed some light on their date. Burials 1, 2 and 3 can be grouped together having approximately similar dates. Burial 1 was located inside the nave wall and the fill of the burial contained line-impressed floor-tiles (94E007:6:2-5) suggesting perhaps a late 14th/ 15th-century date. The presence of the tiles would definitely indicate that the burial was not earlier than this date. This burial post-dates the construction of the tower as part of it lies above its foundations. The burial also cuts into F5, a 14th/15th-century floor surface on which floor-tiles would have been set. Burial 2 was

located outside the nave wall and inside the south transept of the church. As it cuts F9, a brown layer that post-dates the construction of the tower, it has a similar date to Burial 1. Finds from the fill of the

grave included a strap handle from a jug of 13th/ early 14th-century date (94E007:11:4), 2 mosaic tiles of 13th/14th-century date (94E007:11:2-3) and a possible silver ingot (94E007:11:1). Again all we can

say with certainty is that this burial cannot be any earlier than the 14th/15th century. Burial 3, also located within the church was above F14, the remains of the original 13th-century nave wall. Like

Burial 2, it cut F9 and so it post-dates the tower construction. The fill of the grave contained numerous floor tiles, 6 of which were the same line-impressed design (Design L6; see Eames and Fanning 1988, 119). These would indicate a 14th/15th-century date for this burial, thus making it contemporary with

Burials 1 and 2.

Associations can be drawn between Burials 4 and 6 in terms of similar dates. Burial 4 was

discovered outside the south wall of the church in one of the blind arcades. The lower limbs of this

burial were cut by the foundations of the tower indicating a pre-15th-century date. Finds from the fill

of this grave included a pottery sherd of 13 th/14th-century date (94E007:23:5), a fragment of worked

sandstone (94E007:23:6) and a pig's tooth (94E007:23:3). As this burial was outside the church, it

probably belonged to the priory cemetery which is known to have come right around to the south side

of the church as several burials were discovered during house construction (Rynne 1959). Burial 6 was

uncovered inside the church in the southern part of Cutting 1. The burial was cut into natural boulder

clay and like Burial 4 the lower limbs were absent, cut by the tower foundations. Finds from the fill

of the burial would indicate a date similar to Burial 4, possibly 13th/14th century. The presence of a

double- sided iron comb in the grave fill would further reinforce this date. Both Burials 4 and 6 were

sealed by F20, a layer of late 14th/15th-century date. We can therefore conclude that both these burials

pre-date this layer and the tower construction and are 14th century in date at the very latest and could

quite possibly be 13th century in date.

Little can be said with regard to the dating of Burial 5 as it seems likely that this is nothing more

than disarticulated bone. It appeared as the remains of two arms below Burial 4 and if this is the case, it must pre-date it.

Burial 7 was discovered in a mortar-lined grave outside the nave wall at the southern end of

Cutting 1. The grave itself is evidently earlier than the burial as another burial (Burial 8) was found

underneath Burial 7. The mortar grave is likely to be 14th century in date prior to the construction of

the tower. The grave fill contained a large quantity of disarticulated bone representing at least 12

individuals suggesting re-use of the grave over a period of time. Burial 7, the upper burial in the grave is likely to be 15th century in date, probably interred after the south transept was constructed. Finds in the grave fill included several inlaid floor-tiles, 1 line-impressed floor-tile as well as 2 pottery sherds, 1 of 13th/14th-century date and the second (94E007:34:16), a sherd of Merida-type pottery of



Aisle D

North

Nave

Choir

Chancel

IX

TT

U

=0:

Phase 1 (13th century)

3

L

Ba

Stairwell

Nave

Tower choir

Chancel

P

Chapel Phase 2 (14th/15th century)

10 Metres

Fig. 11. Two principal phases in the development of the church.



Town

Wall

| Excavated 3 Dowsed

Fig. 12. Suggested layout of priory buildings.




15th/16th-century date. It is the latter sherd that indicates the burial cannot be any earlier than the 15th

century.

Burial 8 while lying in the same mortar grave is obviously earlier in date than Burial 7. The

actual dating of this burial is not an easy task. As no disarticulated bone was uncovered below Burial

8, it would suggest that this burial was the first to be interred in this grave. The 13th/14th-century tile

fragments recovered from the fill might indicate the same date for the burial. During the 13th/14th

century the grave was presumably within the priory cemetery and hence Burial 8 was actually outside

the church, like Burial 4. It was probably when the south transept was added above the grave in the

14th/15th century that other burials including Burial 7 were interred in the same grave. Burial 9 was uncovered in a stone-lined grave in Cutting 5 inside the church wall. The fill of the

grave contained 3 inlaid tile fragments (94E007:39:1,5 & 7), 3 stone moulding fragments

(94E007:39:8-10) and 4 plaster fragments (94E007:39:2-4,6). Two items were also found in direct

association with this burial. They were a copper-alloy buckle (94E007:39:11) and a strap tag

(94E007:39:12). Both were decorated and were found on the right thigh of the burial where they most

likely formed part of a 14th-century Breke belt. The burial appears to be of 14th-century date. The

stone-lined grave disturbed the south wall of an earlier mortar-lined grave perhaps 13th/14th century in date.

Burial 10 was discovered just to the south of F39 (Burial 9). The burial was under F9, a

14th/15th-century layer inside the church. Finds from the grave fill were almost non-existent, save a

body sherd from a vessel of local manufacture dating to the late 14th/15th century (94E007:44:1). It

is possible that this burial is 14th century in date, prior to the construction of the tower.

Various grave types are represented among the burials from the Dominican Priory and an

examination of the graves and the burials can reveal information about the use of the site. Burials 1, 4 and 6 were found in direct association with iron nails suggesting the former presence of coffins.

Burial 1 post-dates the construction of the tower while the latter 2 burials pre-date it, belonging

perhaps to the 13th/14th century. This would seem to indicate that coffin burial was carried out in both

the early and late medieval periods. Burials 2, 3 and 10, while again of different dates, appear to have

been interred in simple pits. No positive evidence exists for the use of coffins and it is likely that had

coffins existed, some iron nails should survive. The 2 other grave types present on the site can be

described as elaborate graves. Burial 9 was in a stone-lined grave or cist, while 2 burials (Burials 7

and 8) were in the same mortar-lined grave. It is believed that both graves have their origin in the

sarcophagus which is dated to the 13th and 14th centuries. Evidence from this site would suggest that

here, the mortar-lined grave pre-dated the stone-lined grave. A mortar-lined grave containing no

burial, just a mass of disarticulated bone was disturbed at the southern edge by the stone-lined grave of Burial 9. Evidence in the form of pins for the use of shrouds did not survive for any burial.

The position of these graves coupled with their type provides positive information about the use

of the site and the different treatment of various individuals. On present evidence it would appear that

Burials 4 and 8 belonged to the priory cemetery (the grave of Burial 8 was later incorporated into the

south transept or chapel). Both burials were very close to the outside wall of the church, with Burial

4 (a juvenile) actually lying within the blind arcading. Due to its close proximity to the church and

coupled with the fact that it had an elaborate mortar-lined grave we can deduce that Burial 8, an older

adult male, was a high-status individual. From approximately the same early period is Burial 6, a

young adult male. This burial was found within the church and one can only presume that this

individual was of even higher status than the previous two, perhaps a cleric. Two other burials were

found within the church walls. Burial 9, a middle-aged male, was very prestigious for numerous

reasons. Firstly, the grave was elaborate - it was stone-lined and it did not respect the line of the pre

existing mortar-lined grave. Secondly, its positioning within the church in the early 14th century would indicate it was the burial of a high-status individual. Finally the grave goods associated with




this individual would suggest the burial of an ecclesiastic. The buckle and strap tag formed part of a

possible Breke belt worn during the 14th century. It is significant that of the 10 burials uncovered, this

is the only burial that was found in direct association with grave goods. Burial 10, a juvenile, was also

found within the church but without an elaborate grave or grave goods and was quite obviously disturbed.

Burial 7, a middle-aged female, was quite unique for various reasons, including the fact that it

lay complete and undisturbed in a mortar-lined grave. This burial, dated to the 15th century by a sherd

of Merida-type ware, was obviously buried from within the church when this grave was incorporated into the south transept or chapel. Also significant about this grave was the vast amount of

disarticulated bone that came from it. The possibility exists that this particular grave was being used as a family plot with continual re-use. Little or no respect was given to previous burials as is evidenced

by all the disturbed bone. It is likely that Burial 7 was the last burial in this plot because of its complete nature. It is interesting that this burial is female. This indicates that the church was not being reserved

for the exclusive burial of clerics during the 15th century at least. Obviously it was being used by a

wider community which possibly included lay benefactors of the priory. Burial 7 was found with an

oyster-shell pendant around the neck. A similar example is known from Mullingar where burials with

scallop shells were also found indicating that they were pilgrims to the continental shrine of Santiago de Compostela (Michael Gibbons, pers. comm.).

Burials 1, 2 and 3 were of similar date and were located inside the church. The grave type varied

from coffin to simple pit and whilst these types cannot be described as elaborate, their position inside

the church would indicate they were burials of important individuals.

The sample from this excavation contains more middle-aged and older adults than the sample from the 1991 excavation (Halpin and Buckley 1995). There was a total of 38 adults (73%) and 14

juveniles (27%) found amongst the minimum number of individuals represented. Of the adults, 18

were male and 13 were female with 7 being of indeterminate sex. This gives a male to female ratio of

1.4:1. As discovered in the 1991 excavation it is clear that the cemetery was not exclusively reserved

for the Dominicans but was used by a wider community. In fact only 2 burials could be proposed as

Dominicans, Burial 8, an older adult male and Burial 9, a middle-aged male. Burial 8 was outside the

south wall of the church but in a very elaborate mortar-lined grave which apparently was constructed

in the first instance for him but later re-used. This individual suffered severely in later life (see Human

Bone Report below) and must have been cared for and respected, considering the elaborate grave he

received. Burial 9 was buried within the church in a stone-lined grave and had associated finds of a

buckle and strap tag possibly indicating he was an ecclesiastic.

Several juveniles appeared to have been buried just outside the south wall of the nave prior to

the 15th century, one of which was Burial 4. A similar concentration of infants was found in the 1991

excavation beside a wall of the priory buildings (Halpin and Buckley 1995, 193). It is interesting that

lay individuals and juveniles were not only buried in the cemetery but also seem to have been buried

within the church. The Dominican priory obviously had rights of lay burial in the 13th-14th century similar to those of St Mary d'Urso (Brooks 1953, 68-70).

Finds

The assemblage of finds from the site is quite large considering the small nature of the

excavation and includes medieval and post-medieval pottery, medieval floor-tiles and roof ridge-tiles,

glass, iron, stone, clay pipes and copper-alloy objects. Post-medieval pottery constitutes the majority of pottery from this site. The assemblage of

medieval pottery is quite small and as would be expected comes mainly from lower archaeological

layers. Only 2 medieval pottery sherds (94E007:1:206, 225) have been found in a disturbed context.

In total there are 27 medieval pottery sherds. These are mainly local wares, with only 3 non-local Irish



2 metres

o to 9 s S Hi <? ri'

Ci O S? s



94E007:39:12

1

lern

3cmr

94E007:9:9

94E007:39:11

lem

94E007:20:3

Fig. 14. Strap tag, buckle, and inlaid tiles found during excavation.

o




wares. Imported wares are virtually absent with the exception of a base sherd from a costrel of Merida

type pottery (Portugal). This pottery is dated to the late 15th/16th centuries. The large majority of

medieval sherds are of 13th/14th-century date with a smaller amount of 14th/15th-century wares. The

unexceptional and small assemblage of pottery is typical, as the excavation was carried out in the

ecclesiastical area of the priory, not the domestic range. In stark contrast to the unremarkable pottery assemblage, medieval floor-tiles constitute the

largest part of the finds collection. They include border tiles, square and half-tiles, mosaic tiles, two

coloured tiles and line-impressed tiles. Many types appear to have a close affinity with samples

already found in Drogheda during previous excavations. The vast majority of tiles were found in

context but none remained in situ. A total of 288 tile fragments was recorded for the entire site. Of

these 62 can be recognised as line-impressed and 25 as two-coloured. Various designs are recognisable on the line-impressed tiles and they can be further sub-divided. Line-impressed tiles were made by

impressing a design by means of a wooden or metal stamp on a prepared slab of soft clay (Campbell 1985, 48). Five designs were represented on the tile wasters from the kiln site at Magdalene Tower

discovered in 1985 by Kieran Campbell. Of those 5 designs, 3 are clearly recognisable from this

excavation. These designs are Eames and Fanning types L6, L59 and L78 (Eames and Fanning 1988,

119, 123, 125). Type L6 contains the impressed image of a lion's head and several complete examples exist of this particular kind. L59 showed evidence for a flaw during the stages of production. A

horizontal line crossed the tile near its centre indicating that the original stamp from which it was

made had a crack in its surface. This provides quite substantial evidence that this particular type was

of definite local manufacture. Other designs from Eames and Fanning's classifications may be present in the assemblage but the fragments are too obscure to recognise them with certainty.

There are a few varieties of two-coloured tiles from the site, some of which are not classified in

Eames and Fanning. Seven such tiles exist and they are 94E007:1:82; 3:39; 9:9; 20:3; 20:13; 20:28; 40:1. Five have a trefoil spray, 1 has a half floral head surrounded by 2 diagonal lines and 1 has 2

semi-circular designs. These tiles are set apart from others, not only by their design, but also because

of their shapes. One is six-sided, others appear rectangular, while some still do not conform to any conventional shape. These tiles are possibly 13th century in date while the line-impressed are

14th/15th century in date and can be associated with renovations to the priory at that time.

Glass finds, clay pipes, stone and iron finds are for the most part post-medieval. A double-sided

iron comb of 13th/14th-century date came from F25. It was in a very bad state of preservation and

most of the teeth have either disintegrated or are broken. A more appealing find was the copper-alloy buckle and strap tag. Both these finds were decorated and appear to have belonged to a Breke belt, an

item of clothing believed to have been worn during the 14th century. These finds came from Burial 9

and were resting on the right thigh of the body. Their significance is heightened because of their direct

association with this burial, thus providing dating evidence.

Conclusion

The earliest feature on the site seems to have been the ditch-like feature which was running in an east-west direction. Due to the limited nature of the excavation it was not possible to further

investigate the line of this ditch but from the pottery sherd recovered from its fill, a 13th-century date can be ascribed to the filling of the ditch. There was no silting evident in the bottom of the ditch and it can be assumed therefore that the ditch was not open for long. It is possible that this ditch was either

a defensive feature associated with the original line of the town defences before the Dominican priory was built or was part of an enclosure around the early 13th-century leper hospital which is said to have stood on the site of the later church and outside the early town wall. Bradley (1978, 120) suggested that the early 13th-century town defences must have included St Peter's parish church established before 1186 but not the leper hospital mentioned c. 1206. It was presumably when settlement began



-3cm 94E007:34:3

94E007:1:230

5' ? 0} 3 b I

Fig. 15. Line-impressed tiles found during excavation.

o



106 County Louth Archaeological and Hirtorical Journal

to encroach on this hospital that its site was moved to the Chord Road and the Dominican priory established in its place. The town's defences almost certainly were expanded to include the Dominican

priory within its walls. This was also the case with the hospital of St Mary d'Urso on the west side of

the town.

It is interesting that no trace of the leper hospital was recovered on the site but this could be due

to the limited nature of the excavation. The earliest priory church on the site seems to have consisted

of a nave with north aisle, the north wall of the nave having been built directly over the filled-in ditch.

The south nave wall appears to have had blind arcading and the priory cemetery came right up to this

south nave wall. During the 13th/early 14th century, Burial 8 was interred in a mortar-lined grave just outside the south nave wall and Burial 4 was buried in a simple pit in the blind arcade next to this

mortar-lined grave. Inside the church Burial 6 was interred in a simple pit and at least another 2 burials

took place under one of the arches along the north nave wall. One of these was in a mortar-lined grave

and the second was in a stone-lined grave which cut into the side of the mortar-lined grave. No

articulated burial was present in the mortar-lined grave but the substantial amount of disarticulated

bone indicated that quite a few burials were interred in this grave. There was a complete burial in the

stone-lined grave and a 14th-century buckle and strap tag were found on the thigh of the burial. Burial

10 was interred in a simple pit beside the stone-lined grave probably towards the end of the 14th

century just before the tower was constructed.

Following the construction of the tower around the end of the 14th century, the north aisle was

either demolished or had already fallen down and so the arches in the north nave wall were built up and a doorway inserted into the north wall beside the tower. A stairwell was built outside the north

wall of the tower which gave access to the belfry and a south chapel (possibly that of the Blessed

Virgin) was constructed over the earlier mortar-lined grave (F34). Following this construction phase, 3 other burials (Burials 1, 2 and 3) were interred in simple pits or coffins inside the church and the

chapel. A fourth burial, that of a female with an oyster shell around her neck, was interred in the

mortar-lined grave (F34) inside the south chapel. This grave was obviously in continued use since Burial 8 was first interred as quite an amount of disarticulated bone was retrieved from the fill of the

grave. These latter 4 interments probably took place soon after the construction of the tower during the late 14th or early 15th century. All traces of the post-15th-century history of the church were

destroyed by post-medieval disturbance which included garden soil and traces of a possible mud cabin

(F8, F37). With regard to the original extent and layout of the priory, very little can be said with certainty.

The priory was probably defined by the town wall on the north and by Upper Magdalene Street on the

south and east (Fig. 12). Its western extent was probably about midway along Rope Walk. A tile kiln

and tiled surface were discovered in the north-western portion of the site when a house was being built

(Fig. 12). Very little is known of the domestic range but it must have existed to the north and west of

the church as the priory cemetery covered the whole eastern extent.

HUMAN BONE REPORT

By Laureen Buckley

Introduction

These burials were recovered during excavation of the area around the Magdalene Tower,

Drogheda. They are part of the cemetery of the Dominican priory, a larger part of which was excavated

in 1991 (Halpin and Buckley 1995). Therefore although the number of burials recovered was small

they increase the information about the medieval community which was buried here. Apart from

Burial 7, the burials were not seen in situ but after excavation and after they had been washed. In




general preservation was good but some of the disarticulated bones from the upper levels were badly

decayed. The bones were sexed by examination of various morphological features, or in the case of

the disarticulated long bones, by the diameter of the head of the hum?rus and femur. Age was

determined in juveniles by the state of dental eruption (Schour and Massler 1944) or by comparison of the length of long bones to those from juveniles whose dental age was known. In adults, age was

estimated by examination of various degenerative features. As these are generally inaccurate, it was

only possible to place the adults in broad age-groups such as young adult, adult, middle-aged, or older

adult. Where possible stature was estimated by using the regression equations of Trotter and Gleser

(1952, 1958).

Population Characteristics

Although there were only 10 individual burials, a large number of disarticulated bones was

recovered from the site. The minimum number of individuals present was 52, which is almost as many as were recovered from the 1991 excavations. However, the dislocated nature of the burials means that

less information can be derived from them. Of the 52 individuals, 38 were adults (73%) and 14 were

juveniles (27%). The percentage of juveniles is higher than that found in 1991 and taken together the

overall percentage of juveniles is 23%. This is slightly lower than would be expected from a normal

medieval population (Brothwell 1981, 73). The minimum number of juveniles present was determined

by the number of skulls, which fortunately enabled age at death of most of the juveniles to be

estimated from the dental remains, even if only part of the dentition of an individual remained. Table

1 shows the age distribution of those juveniles which could be aged.

Table 1

Age distribution of juvenile deaths

Age (years) Number of burials

0- 1 0

1 -5 2

5-10 5

10-15 2

15-20 J_ Total 10

There were no neo-natal or infants less than one year present. In the 1991 excavation only 1

infant was found but this was probably a later insertion and not contemporary with the priory.

Although the number of neo-natal burials can be low because their small bones are difficult to spot,

they were probably not present in this cemetery due to the exclusion of unbaptised infants from

consecrated ground. Most of the juveniles were between 5 and 10 years at time of death. The total

number of aged juvenile burials is low but the range of ages suggests that they were drawn from the

surrounding community rather than being attached to the priory. Of the minimum number of adults,

18 were male and 13 were female with 7 being of indeterminate sex. This gives a male to female ratio

of 1.4:1, which is slightly lower than the 2:1 found in 1991. However, if the numbers of males and

females are combined from both excavations the ratio is close to 2:1, which is consistent with a priory site. Since most of the adult burials were disarticulated in nature, few of them could be aged. Of the

articulated remains, 1 was a young adult, 1 was adult, 2 were middle-aged and 1 was an older adult.

It was possible to identify 4 young adults and 3 older adults from the disarticulated remains but as

these age groups are the easier to positively identify, the results would be biased and it is not therefore

possible to give an accurate age profile of the population.




Stature

It was possible to estimate the stature for the 4 males and 2 females among the articulated burials. Stature was not estimated for individuals from the disarticulated bones as it would be

inaccurate to use measurements from one bone only. The average stature for males was 168cm which

is slightly lower than the 171cm average from the 1991 excavation. The females had statures of 158

andl59 cm. This was higher than the 155cm average in the 1991 excavation. If the statures obtained

for the two sites are combined then the average stature for males is 170cm and for females 156 cm.

This is similar to statures obtained from other Irish sites (Buckley, 1993b).

Non-metric traits

Non-metric traits can be used to judge distances between populations. The occurrence of some

simple genetic traits such as mepotism, inca bones and hypodontia can give an indication of family groups. The disarticulated nature of most of the bones recovered makes this impossible. However, 2

skulls recovered from F34 which came from a stone-lined grave had 4 ossicles at lambda. One of these

also had a metopic suture and both, as well as 2 other skulls, had lamboid ossicles. One mandible from

F25 had mandibular torii and a maxillary torus was present in B7.

Congenital developmental abnormalities

Congenital developmental abnormalities are abnormal developments of body tissues which arise at birth or shortly afterwards. In the skeleton they usually take the form of missing or extra bones or

a failure of the ossification process. In this group only 2 individuals had anomalies. Burial 2 had 6

sacral vertebrae instead of the usual 5 and Burial 4 had 6 lumbar vertebrae. In this burial the third

sacral vertebra was not completely closed at the dorsal surface which indicates the presence of spina bifida occulta. This is not a serious condition and would not be responsible for the death of this

juvenile. This condition was present in 14% of sacra recovered from the earlier excavation

Palaeopathology

Dentition

Twenty-two fragments of mandibles which represent a minimum of 16 individuals were

recovered from the disarticulated remains, with a further 4 from the articulated burials. There were

also 12 maxillae recovered from the articulated and disarticulated remains. The dentition recovered is therefore from a minimum of 20 individuals. This is a rather small sample, and since most dentitions

were incomplete, the number of teeth recovered, 202, is only about one-third of the potential dentition.

Therefore too much interpretation cannot be put on the dental pathology of such a biased sample.

Dental anomalies

Non-eruption of teeth occurred in 4 individuals. In all cases the third molar was the tooth

affected. In only one case had all 4 molars failed to erupt. However, in the other individuals dentition was incomplete.

Ante-mortem loss

Teeth which have been lost ante-mortem are easily recognisable, as the sockets gradually heal over and the gap in the dentition is obvious. Occasionally the socket will not be completely closed

indicating that the tooth loss occurred shortly before death. A total of 40 teeth from 9 individuals had

been lost during life. This gives an ante-mortem loss rate of 10%, which although higher than that of

the 1991 excavation of 5%, is still very low. However, this sample is considerably biased by the low number of teeth recovered. If the two sites are considered together then the rate of ante-mortem tooth loss is 7%. This is higher than some Early Christian populations, e.g., Skeam, Co Cork (Buckley




1991) where the rate was 3.9%, but considerably lower than later medieval populations, e.g., Tintern, Co Wexford (? Donnabh?in 1985) where the rate was 17.6%.

The majority of teeth lost were molars and most individuals had lost only 1 or 2 teeth. There

were a few individuals however who had lost considerably more. A maxilla from an older male in F34

had lost 10 teeth, all the molars and premolars, ante-mortem. A mandible from this feature also had

10 teeth missing, all the molars, second premolars and the central incisors. It is possible but not

definite that these belonged to the same individual. In F41 a mandible with 8 teeth missing was found.

Again the missing teeth were all the molars and premolars. The cause of the tooth loss may have been

periodontal disease or caries.

Attrition

In general molar attrition was not severe among this group. Skeletons which were considered

young adult or adult had much lesser degrees of attrition than described by Brothwell. Some of the

older adults had severe attrition of molar teeth. This is similar to the findings of the earlier excavation.

Caries

Eight adults were affected by caries. Most individuals had lost 1 or 2 teeth. Only 1 individual,

B9, had lost 5 teeth. The number of carious teeth from this site was 15 which represents a caries rate

of 7.4%. This is slightly higher than that of the 1991 excavation but the small number of teeth

recovered this time may be influencing the result. Since all the affected teeth were molars, and molars

are the least likely teeth to be lost post-mortem, this also has the effect of raising the caries rate. The

caries rate is still relatively low and is similar to the rate noted at the medieval cemetery of St Nicholas

Shambles, London (White 1988). It is considerably lower than later medieval populations, e.g.,

Tintern, where the rate was 14.3%.

Dental abscesses

Only 2 individuals had evidence of dental abscesses. Burial 9, a middle-aged male with 5 carious

teeth had an abscess at the root of the first left upper molar. This tooth was lost post-mortem, but it is

reasonable to assume that it would also have been affected by caries. Exposure of the pulp cavity by caries or gross attrition allows bacteria to enter and results in a dental abscess. Burial 2, an older adult

male, had an abscess cavity at the root of the first right upper molar. This tooth was also affected by caries and the adjacent molar and lower right second molar had both been lost ante-mortem.

Calculus

Calculus deposits, which are mineralised plaque deposits, are a frequent finding on teeth from

archaeological sites. Virtually all individuals with dentition had calculus deposits on their teeth,

although on some of the disarticulated the amount could not be quantified as it had broken off. In most

cases deposits were light or moderate with only 2 individuals having heavier deposits. This is similar

to the findings of the earlier excavation.

Periodontal disease

Periodontitis is a disease caused by plaque micro-organisms, which leads to inflammation of the

supporting structures of the teeth. Eventually, r?sorption of the underlying bone occurs and this may result in tooth loss. The exact cause of periodontal disease is unknown, but a number of factors

including poor oral hygiene and a diet rich in soft carbohydrate food may predispose to it. Periodontal

disease may increase irregularly during an individual's lifetime but in general is more severe with

increasing age. Only 3 individuals were affected by periodontal disease, in one case it was slight, but

2 individuals, B2 and B9, were more severely affected. However, the presence of periodontal disease




could not be determined in some instances where several teeth had been lost ante-mortem. The

incidence in the 1991 sample was also low at 20%.

Enamel hypoplasia

Hypoplastic defects take the form of lines, grooves or pits in the enamel of teeth crowns. They are thought to occur during development of the tooth when the enamel production is temporarily halted due to an acute infection or a period of dietary stress. The age at which the stress occurred can

usually be determined as the ages at which a particular tooth develops are known. Twelve adults from

this group had evidence of linear enamel hypoplasia and a further 2 juveniles were affected. This

represents 47% of individuals with dentition, which is lower than the rate from the 1991 group of 73%.

However, the incompleteness of the dentitions would account for this, as many individuals had only a few observable teeth. In fact those individuals who did have evidence of hypoplasia were those who

had the most complete dentitions. The majority of those affected had several episodes of hypoplasia, with most of the episodes occurring between 2-5 years. The first five years of a child's life are the most

vulnerable when they are most susceptible to infection. Nutritional deficiencies can occur after the

child is weaned on to adult food. The malnourished child has an increased susceptibility to infections.

The fact that most occurrences of hypoplasia happened after two years of age may indicate an increase

in nutritional stress after weaning or may indicate that acute infections before two years of age were

fatal.

Skeletal Pathology

Cribra orbitalia

This is a bone condition characterised by pitting of the anterior portion of the orbital surface of

the frontal bone and is usually attributed to iron-deficiency anaemia. When the blood is anaemic, the

bone marrow will proliferate in an attempt to make up by quantity what the blood lacks in quality. The

bone marrow expands at the expense of the compact bone which becomes thinner and more porous.

It is the thinner bones of the skull where the effect is most marked. Usually the parietal bones are

involved, giving rise to the condition known as porotic hyperostosis, or the upper eye sockets where

it is known as cribra orbitalia.

Four juveniles and 2 adults had cribra orbitalia. The number of skulls with observable orbits was

34, so the percentage of those with cribra was 18% which is the same as that obtained from the 1991

excavation. This is a relatively low rate of cribra orbitalia, compared to the medieval group from

Temple Lane, Dublin (? Donnabh?in and Cosgrave 1994) which was 66%

A higher proportion of juvenile than adult skulls was affected however, and recent research

indicates that cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis are indicators of childhood anaemia and that the

pitting is often healed in the bones of the adult (Stuart-McAdam 1985). Only 2 adult skulls were

affected by porotic hyperostosis. The results suggest that iron deficiency anaemia was not widespread

throughout this group.

Tibial periostitis Periostitis is an inflammation of the outer layer of bone, the periosteum. It can arise as a result

of infection of overlying tissues, such as a leg ulcer, or from direct trauma to the bone. Since its

development is associated with malnutrition, its presence in a population is used as an indicator of

biological stress. Only 1 individual, B2, an older adult male, was affected by periostitis. Both tibiae

and the right fibula were affected. There was a small cut on the left tibia which was the focus for the

lesion. The right fibula also had a small exostosis on the bone above the lesion, indicating some

trauma to the bone. Since only 3 individuals from the earlier excavation were affected by tibial

periostitis the incidence in the overall population was low.




Infectious diseases

The majority of infectious diseases are acute illnesses from which either rapid or fairly rapid

recovery, or death, occurs. Acute infections leave no trace on the skeleton and their presence in the

population can only be inferred by the indirect evidence of, e.g., enamel hypoplasia. Chronic or long term infections, which have had time to affect bone, can be seen on skeletal material.

Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone marrow which can arise when the bone is exposed to

the air such as in a compound fracture, or by bacteria spread in the blood stream from a primary infection elsewhere such as an abscess. Only 1 example of osteomyelitis was found in this site and

that was caused by a compound fracture. A small segment of femur shaft was recovered from Fl, which had evidence of a healed fracture. There was considerable overlap of bone, and the haematoma

which occurred at the time of the fracture had ossified, enveloping the whole area. A number of cloaca

was evident which allows drainage of pyogenic material from the centre of the bone.

Tuberculosis

One thoracic vertebra was recovered from F34 which had a scooped-out lesion on the vertebral

body. The lack of bone response indicates that it may possibly be tuberculosis, but diagnosis could not

be definite on the basis of 1 disarticulated vertebra. However, a stray hip joint recovered from the 1991

excavation may have been affected by tuberculosis. Tuberculosis has been noted on other medieval

sites from this period (? Donnabh?in and Cosgrave 1994).

Degenerative disease

The degenerative diseases of osteoarthritis and osteophytosis of the vertebral column were noted

in some of the skeletons and in isolated bones among the disarticulated remains. The pattern of

osteoarthritis in an individual and the population as a whole can sometimes give an indication of

activity patterns. However, disarticulated bones are not useful in this regard as the number of

individuals affected cannot be assessed. A quantitative assessment of degenerative disease cannot

therefore be given, due to the small number of articulated skeletons in this group. However, some

general points can be made.

Of the 6 adult burials, 5 had osteoarthritis to some degree. The burial which had no arthritis was

that of a young adult. Frequently more than 1 joint was affected but in some cases the changes were

minimal and may be more of a consequence of ageing rather than disease. In two instances the arthritis

was related to trauma. Burial 1, an adult female, had severe osteoarthritis of the head of the first

metatarsal and while this is a point of stress in the foot during walking and is often seen in older

individuals, in this case there appeared to be some damage to the joint which could have occurred

from various means. This individual also had osteoarthritis of the transverse joints of the ribs. These

joints are thought to be more at risk of arthritis in females, due to the stress they are put under during

pregnancy.

Burial 2, an older adult male, had several joints affected by osteoarthritis. Most were only mildly affected. Both hip joints were affected as were the right shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. There were

mild changes in the joints of the left arm but these were not significant. This suggests the individual

was right-handed. Osteoarthritis and osteophytosis were present in the spine of this individual as well

as Scmorl's nodes in the vertebrae, suggesting that a lot of manual work had been carried out at a

young age. Some ribs had severe osteoarthritis, but this was as a result of trauma, as there were healed

fractures of 4 ribs on the right side.

Burial 7, a middle-aged female, also had mild osteoarthritis affecting the hips, knees, shoulders

and ribs. The only joint severely affected was an interphalangeal joint in the fingers. Burial 8, an older male, had severe osteoarthritis of both sacro-iliac joints. There were mild




arthritic changes at both hips and knees, but the most severely affected joints were the shoulders, elbows and wrists, suggesting that a habitual activity involving the arms was carried out. Some joints in the ankle and foot were arthritic and the vertebral column had severe osteophytosis. This individual

was also affected by Paget's disease but the strong muscle insertions and osteoarthritis suggest that he

at least had a full active life before succumbing to this disease of old age. Burial 9, a middle-aged male, had very slight arthritic changes in the shoulders and elbows but

had severe osteoarthritis affecting the neck vertebrae. He also had Schmorl's nodes affecting several

vertebrae, so the heavy labour at a young age may have contributed to the osteoarthritis of the

vertebrae.

In the burials from the 1991 excavation only 16% of individuals had non-vertebral arthritis and

most were only mildly affected. As there are mostly middle-aged and older adults from this sample it

is not surprising that there is a higher proportion of osteoarthritis.

Trauma

Only 2 individuals had evidence of trauma. A disarticulated femur from Fl had a healed

compound fracture which had resulted in infection of the bone. This fracture was very similar to a

fractured femur found in a male in the 1991 excavations. Burial 2, an older adult male, had 4 fractured

ribs. Fractured ribs are usually caused by a fall against a hard object (Adams 1987). There were 2

individuals with fractured ribs in the 1991 excavations.

A special type of fracture known as spondyloysis occurs when the posterior arch of the vertebra

is broken off during life. This occurs as a result of constant stress on a congenital weakness of the

vertebra. Usually it occurs at the fifth lumbar vertebra. One example of spondyloysis was found in a

fifth lumbar recovered from the disarticulated bone in F34. Two examples were found in the previous excavation. This type of fracture never heals although it rarely leads to complications.

Paget's disease

Burial 8, an older adult male, was affected by Paget's disease. This is a chronic bone disease of

unknown cause, which may affect one or several bones in a skeleton. It usually affects individuals

over fifty years of age, with males more often affected than females. The disease represents a speeding

up of the normal bone remodelling mechanism. It usually begins in a small area but then spreads

throughout the bone (Ortner and Putschar 1985). Osteoclastic (bone r?sorption) activity is increased

followed by an increase in osteoblastic (bone-forming) activity, producing irregular and excessive

amounts of poor quality bone. A microscopic examination of the bone reveals a typical mosaic pattern. Several bones were affected in this individual. Both femurs were affected and there was some

bowing of the bones due to weight bearing on the poor quality bone. The right tibia was affected and

there was considerable distension of the bone due to periosteal bone deposition. The right scapula was

affected in both the acromion and the body of the bone. The upper half of the right hum?rus shaft was

also affected but the most severely affected bone was the right radius, as the entire shaft had a swollen

appearance, and where the bone was broken the typical pumice-stone appearance of the bone could be

seen. Secondary degenerative arthritis over affected epiphyses is common (Ortner and Putschar 1985), and indeed, the distal radius had very severe osteoarthritis with severe eburnation of the ulnar

articulation area. The ilia appeared to be in the early stages of the disease with lytic lesions around the

acetabula and a fine periosteal bone deposit. Only 1 vertebra, T9, appeared to be affected. This is not

unusual, nor is it too unusual for vertebrae affected by Paget's disease to be adjacent to unaffected

bones.

Although the disease is common, the involvement of several bones is not. Only 1 other case of

Paget's disease has been recorded in archaeological material in Ireland. This was in an elderly female

recovered from the late medieval material at St Audoen's in Dublin (Buckley 1993a). In that case only




the skull and spine were involved. The skull of this individual was not recovered which is unfortunate as the disease was so extensive elsewhere in the skeleton.

Summary and conclusions

These bones were recovered during excavation in the immediate area around the Magdalene Tower in Drogheda, which is part of the medieval Dominican priory. Although the majority of

skeletons were well preserved, there had been a lot of disturbance of the site in the past and the

majority of bones recovered were disarticulated. Nevertheless they make an important contribution to

the information previously obtained from excavations at the Dominican priory. The minimum number of individuals recovered was 52, although there were only 10 in situ

burials. Thirty-eight (73%) were adults and 14 (27%) were juveniles. The level of juvenile burials is

low for what would be expected from a normal population of this period, but although this site was

used by some members of the surrounding community, it is a priory site and therefore would not be

expected to represent a normal population. The ratio of males to females for the whole site of 2:1

confirms that this is the case. There is evidence that infants were not buried here as no infants less than

one year of age were recovered. Only 1 infant was recovered from the earlier excavations but this was

probably a later insertion. The majority of juveniles died between 5 and 10 years of age. The first five

years of a child's life are the most vulnerable and there was evidence from the teeth that children were

subjected to acute infections and dietary stress in this period. However, children under five do not

appear to be buried in this cemetery and therefore must have been buried elsewhere.

The diet of this population did not seem to be particularly coarse as dental attrition was not

severe. Caries rates were low, so refined carbohydrates did not play a large part in the diet. The

number of dental abscesses and teeth lost ante-mortem were also quite low, which is consistent with

the findings of the earlier excavation. There was a low level of nutritional deficiency with cribra

orbitalia being present in only 18% of skulls and the incidence of tibial periostitis which is exacerbated

by malnutrition was also low. Most of the adult burials had evidence for degenerative disease but this

probably reflects the number of middle-aged and older adults among the articulated burials. Most

joints were not severely affected by osteoarthritis but there was evidence that manual labour had been

carried out at a young age.

One older adult was affected by Paget's disease. This disease is common among older males but

it is rare to find an example with so many bones affected. Only one other example has been recovered

from Irish archaeological material to date. This was from late medieval material recovered from St

Audoen's in Dublin. The individual from the Magdalene Tower was buried in a stone-lined grave. The

high status of the grave indicates that this person commanded a lot of respect and probably received

a lot of care as he was incapacitated by the disease.

In conclusion the evidence from these burials confirms the findings of the earlier excavations at

the Dominican priory. The individuals buried here, while having to indulge in hard labour, were not

malnourished and suffered little in the way of infections. The main pathologies noted were diseases

of old age, namely osteoarthritis and Paget's disease.

Inventory of burials

In this inventory each collection of bone is considered separately and is noted under the label as

given by the archaeologist. For the disarticulated bone the minimum number of adult, juvenile, and

infant bones is noted as well as any pathology present. The articulated burials are described in detail,

giving the age, sex and stature of the individual and a description of any pathological conditions. The

state of the dentition is noted in the usual manner, i.e.,




Right 8765432 1

Right 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 or edcba I abcde

12 3 4 5 6 7 8 Left maxilla

12 3 4 5 6 7 8 Left mandible

edcba abcde for deciduous teeth.

The following symbols are used to indicate the state of dentition:

-: tooth lost post-mortem v: tooth unerupted x: tooth lost ante-mortem 0: tooth erupting

NP: tooth not developed C: caries

A: abscess

Burial 1 Adult Female: 158cm

This consisted mainly of the lower legs and vertebrae of a skeleton. Part of the left scapula and

clavicle, and some ribs, as well as the sternum and some metacarpals, were also present.

PATHOLOGY: Schmorl's nodes were present in the lower thoracic and the lumbar vertebrae.

Osteochondritis dessicans was observed in the proximal joint of the first proximal phalange of the

foot. Severe osteoarthritis was noted on the distal surface of the first right metatarsal of the right foot, this may have come about because of injury to the joint. Four of the left ribs and 1 of the right were

arthritic at the tubercle. The metaphysis of the proximal left tibia was expanded and there appeared to

be a small backward pointing projection. However, it does not appear to be a cartilaginous tumour

such as occurs in diaphyseal aclasia. The tibia and distal ends of the femurs which were present were

not affected.

Burial 2 Older Adult Male: 166cm

This was a virtually complete skeleton in good condition.

PATHOLOGY: Several joints were affected by osteoarthritis. In most cases the condition was mild.

There was some pitting of the articular surface and marginal lipping of both acetabula but especially the right. There were also surface osteophytes on the superior surface of the right acetabulum.

Marginal lipping was observed on the head of the left femur. There was slight lipping of the

intercondylar area of both femurs and at the medial side of the anterior articular surfaces. There was

mild marginal lipping of the head of the right hum?rus and to a lesser degree on the left. There were

also some periarticular erosions and some roughness of the greater tuberosity on both humerii. The

glenoid fossae of both scapulae had some marginal lipping. The lateral joint surfaces of the right and

left clavicles were very pitted and reactive. The medial joint surface of the right was also arthritic.

There was some marginal lipping of the radial area of the right trochlea on the posterior surface. The

right ulna had some lipping around the proximal joint surface. The left hum?rus had very mild lipping around the capitulum on the distal joint surface, and there was very mild lipping on the proximal joint surface of the left ulna. The right ulna had gross lipping around the head, and the distal joint surface

of the right radius had marginal lipping and also some pitting of the joint surface. The left radius and

ulna had only mild marginal lipping at the distal joint ends. Some of the wrist bones were arthritic.

The radial surface of the right scaphoid was arthritic, also the metacarpal joint surface of the right

capitate, and there was marginal lipping around the joint surfaces of other wrist bones. There was

severe osteoarthritis at the head and tubercle of the first rib and the heads of 5 other ribs on the right side. The tubercles of 5 ribs were also arthritic. On the left side the heads of 5 ribs and the surfaces at

3 tubercles were arthritic. There were healed fractures of 4 ribs on the right side near the angle. This

sort of fracture may be caused by a fall on an object. The fractures may have contributed to the arthritis

of the rib joints. There was severe osteoarthritis of the posterior joint between the right talus and calcaneum.




There was also lipping between the anterior calcaneum and navicular. In the vertebral column the

upper cervical vertebrae were affected, including the articular surface at the odontoid process, as well as most of the posterior joints of the other vertebrae. The upper thoracic vertebrae were mildly affected

but the osteoarthritis was severe in the middle thoracic vertebrae. Some of the lumbar vertebrae were

also affected. Osteophytosis was mild in the middle and lower thoracic vertebrae and upper lumbar.

The fifth lumbar was severely affected. Schmorl's nodes were present in the lower thoracic vertebrae

and second lumbar vertebra. There was a small area of healed periostitis on the posterior surface of

the left tibia two-thirds of the way down the shaft. The focus of the lesion seems to be a small linear

cut about 1cm long. On the right fibula there was a large area of periostitis on the anterior lateral and

posterior surface in mid-shaft. There is also an exostosis above the area of periostistis on the posterior surface which may be as a result of injury to muscle or bone. There was also healed periostitis on the

medial and lateral surface of the right tibia. The left hum?rus was shorter than the right and there was

also general swelling at the distal metaphysis. The cause of this is unknown but is not considered

significant. The first costal cartilage was ossified and fused to the first rib. Several bones in this

individual had very well developed muscle insertions. These included the rim of the pelvis and the

ischial tuberosity, the greater and lesser trochanter and linea asperae of the femurs, and the deltoid

tuberosity of both humerii. There were 6 sacral vertebrae instead of the usual 5.

DENTITION: A

C C 8 76-5-4-3-2 + I + 2 3 45 6

765432 1 C

4234-5-6-7:

ATTRITION: There was very heavy wear on the upper teeth. The crowns of the lower anterior teeth

were flattened and secondary dentine had formed. Molar attrition was very heavy. CALCULUS: Deposits were light on incisors and moderate on the remaining molars.

CARIES: There was a small cavity on the occlusal surface of the upper right first molar. This may have arisen as a result of severe attrition. The lower right first molar also had a small cavity on the

occlusal surface. Most of the crowns of these teeth had been removed by attrition. The upper right third molar had a small cavity on the mesial surface at the cervical margin, the crown had been worn

down by attrition at this point, so again excessive attrition may have given rise to the caries.

PERIODONTAL DISEASE: There was a slight amount of alveolar recession around the mandibular

molars and a moderate amount around the maxillary molars.

ENAMEL HYPOPLASIA: Linear enamel hypoplasia was noted on the incisor, canine and premolar on the left side of the mandible. The episodes occurred between the ages of 2 and 5 years.

Burial 3 Juvenile

This was an almost complete skeleton, although the skull, upper vertebrae and left arm were

missing.

PATHOLOGY: None.

Burial 4 Juvenile

This consisted of the upper half of a skeleton. The skull and upper vertebrae were missing. All

the arm bones were present as well as some metacarpals and vertebrae and both ilia.

PATHOLOGY: There were 6 lumbar vertebrae instead of the usual 5. The dorsal surface of the first

two sacral vertebrae were broken and could not be observed, but the dorsal surface of the third sacral




vertebra was not closed. The fourth and fifth sacral vertebrae were missing. It is probable that this

individual had spina bifida occulta.

Burial 5 Juvenile This consisted of a right hum?rus shaft, the shaft of another hum?rus and a right ulna shaft. All

the bones were very decayed. A complete left hum?rus from another individual was also present.

Burial 6 Young Adult Male: 162cm

This was the upper half of a skeleton in a poor state of preservation, with the outer surface of the

long bones very decayed. The skull, cervical and thoracic vertebrae were present as well as the left

arm, the lower right arm and a few ribs.

PATHOLOGY: Porotic hyperostosis was observed in both parietal bones.

DENTITION:

NP NP 8765432-f 1 4^-?45678

87654321 I 12345678 NP C NP

ATTRITION: Molar attrition was slight. CALCULUS: Deposits were mild on the buccal surfaces of all teeth and moderate on the lingual surfaces of the lower incisors and premolars.

CARIES: There was a very small cavity in the buccal surface of the lower left first molar.

ENAMEL HYPOPLASIA: Linear enamel hypoplasia was observed in the lower incisors and canines,

upper right canines and premolars and the lower left second molar. The episodes occurred between the

ages of 3 and 6 years.

Burial 7 Middle-Aged Female: 159cm

This was a complete skeleton in good condition.

PATHOLOGY: There was mild lipping around both acetabula and a slight area of erosion on the

superior margins of both. The head of the right femur also had marginal lipping. There was mild

lipping at the distal end of the left and right femurs in the intercondylar area. Mild lipping was also

present on the proximal articular surface of the right tibia. Both scapulae had marginal lipping around

the glenoid fossae. There was pitting of the acromial end of both clavicles and marginal lipping of the

head of the right hum?rus. The distal right hum?rus joint had lipping on the radial part of the trochlea.

The distal surface of the right radius also had mild marginal lipping. There was marginal lipping around the articular surface for the first metacarpal on the right trapezium.

Severe osteoarthritis was present on the distal end of a middle hand phalange. Five ribs on the

left and 6 on the right were arthritic at the tubercle. There was some osteoarthritis of the vertebral

column, particularly between the bodies of the lower cervical vertebrae. The lower lumbar vertebrae

had osteoarthritis of the posterior joints. Osteophytosis was present throughout the vertebral column.

It was moderate on the lower cervical vertebrae, mild on the upper and lower thoracic vertebrae, and

mild on most of the lumbar vertebrae, except L3 where it was severe. Schmorl's nodes were present in the lower thoracic and upper lumbar vertebrae. There were pits on the sacrum which were adjacent to corresponding pits on the preauricular surface of both ilia. These are thought to be ligament insertions.




DENTITION: NP NP

8-3-?-54^-24-l4-2-3 4 5 6-?8

3-2-4-1 +-2-3^5-6 7 8

ATTRITION: Molar attrition was moderate.

ANTE-MORTEM LOSS: The sockets of the upper second molars were partially filled in, so it is

possible these teeth may have been lost before death.

CALCULUS: Deposits were moderate on the lingual surfaces of the molars and light on other tooth

surfaces.

PERIODONTAL DISEASE: There was a small degree of alveolar recession around the mandibular

molars.

HYPOPLASIA: Linear enamel hypoplasia was observed on the upper canine and first molar. The

episodes occurred between 3 and 5 years.

Burial 8 Older Adult Male: 172cm

This was an almost complete skeleton although the skull was missing. The right arm was not

found in situ but was recovered from disarticulated material in F34. A number of skulls were also

present in F34 but the skull from this individual could not be identified.

PATHOLOGY: This individual had very large heavy bones. Muscle insertions were very strong,

especially the linea ?spera and greater trochanter of the femur, the deltoid insertion on the hum?rus, the olecranon of the ulna, the patella, the distal fibula and on the scalene tubercle of the ribs. This,

coupled with the fact that there was severe osteophytosis of the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, with possible fusion of some vertebrae may suggest that the individual was in the early stages of DISH

(diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis). However, the upper and middle thoracic vertebrae were not

affected. Since the individual was heavy boned it is expected that the muscle insertions would be

strong. Some individuals have an increased tendency to produce bone and this could explain the

excessive osteophyte formation in the vertebrae. There was also extensive ossification of the first costal cartilage.

The bone formation and remodelling, which normally occurs throughout life, had gone wrong in

this individual, as several bones had evidence of Paget's disease. The exact cause of Paget's disease is unknown but it is a common disease of individuals aged fifty years or over. The process of bone

destruction and new bone growth is speeded up, so that a large quantity of poor quality bone replaces normal bone. In the later stages of Paget's disease the osteoclast activity (bone destroyers) exceeds the

osteoblast activity (bone formers). The bone affected by Paget's disease has a typical pumice-stone appearance, and shows a mosaic pattern on microscopical examination. Sometimes only one bone

may be affected or several bones may be affected. The most affected bone in this individual was the

right radius, which was almost totally affected with Paget's disease. The right scapula was also

affected and the proximal third of the right hum?rus. The distal third of the right tibia was affected and

had a swollen appearance due to the deposition of bone. Both femurs were only slightly affected. Some bone changes had occurred in the proximal third of the left bone and in most of the shaft of the

right femur. Although only the anterior surface of the femurs was affected, the poor quality of bone was sufficient to cause some bowing, due to weight bearing on the legs. Some of the neural arches of

the vertebrae were also affected.

There were several joints in this individual affected by osteoarthritis. Both sacra-illiac joints were affected, with severe pitting of the sacral articular areas on the ilia especially on the left. Both

hip joints were arthritic with marginal lipping around both acetabula and head of femurs, with the right

joint more affected than the left. There was a mild degree of marginal lipping around the intercondylar




areas of the right femur and right tibia. The left shoulder joint was arthritic with mild lipping around

the head of the hum?rus, pitting and eburnation of the acromial facet on the scapula, and the lateral

end of the clavicle. The left wrist joint was arthritic with eburnation on the head of the left ulna. The

right wrist was very arthritic with severe eburnation of the head of the ulna and the ulnar surface of

the radius. Severe osteoarthritis can be secondary to Paget's disease. There was some arthritis of the

foot joints, with mild marginal lipping on the tibial surfaces of both talii and the posterior and middle

talar-calcaneum joints. The anterior articular surfaces of both calcanea were pitted and there was some

eburnation on the inferior part of the surfaces. The head of the fifth right metatarsal was arthritic.

Schmorl's nodes were present in only 3 middle thoracic vertebrae.

Burial 9 Middle-aged Male: 171cm This skeleton was mostly complete although the skull was broken and the lower legs were

missing.

PATHOLOGY: There was very severe osteoarthritis of the posterior joints of the second, third and fourth cervical vertebrae. There was also degeneration of the surfaces of the centra between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae. The sixth thoracic and third and fifth lumbar vertebrae were also affected

by osteoarthritis. Osteophytosis was mild in the middle thoracic vertebrae and fifth lumbar. Schmorl's nodes were present in the lower thoracic and upper lumbar vertebrae. There were mild arthritic

changes at the right shoulder joint with pitting of the head of the right hum?rus and acromial end of the right clavicle and marginal lipping around the glenoid fossa of the right scapula. There was also

mild lipping around the right elbow joint, with marginal lipping on the right trochlea of the hum?rus and the olecranon of the right ulna. The head of the third right metacarpal was arthritic. There was

mild marginal lipping around both acetabula.

DENTITION: C A

*7 6-W-*2+

876543 3 4 5-6-7-S

345678 cc cc

ATTRITION: Molar attrition was light. CALCULUS: There were heavy deposits on the lingual surfaces of the mandibular teeth and the

buccal surfaces of the upper right first molar and upper premolars. Deposits were light or moderate on the other tooth surfaces.

CARIES: There were small cavities on the buccal surfaces of the lower right molars at the cervical

margin, as well as a cavity on the occlusal surface of the second molar. The cavities on the left side of

the mandible were large and were also at the cervical margin on the buccal surfaces of the teeth. There were small cavities on the distal and buccal surfaces of the upper right second molar at the cervical

margin. The upper left first molar was missing post-mortem, so it could not be determined if caries was present but this is likely as an abscess had developed at the root of this tooth.

PERIODONTAL DISEASE: There was a moderate amount of alveolar recession around the roots of

the mandibular molars on the left side and around the first molar on the right side.

HYPOPLASIA: Linear enamel hypoplasia was observed on the upper and lower canines and

premolars and upper second left molar. The episodes occurred between the ages of 3 and 5 years.

Burial 10 Juvenile This consisted only of the lower vertebrae, pelvis and legs of a juvenile skeleton.

PATHOLOGY: None.




DISARTICULATED BONE Fl

The following minimum numbers of adult long bones were present: Left Right

Hum?rus 5 3

Ulna 2 3

Femur 5 9

Tibia 3 5 Ilia 4 3

Minimum number of adults: 9.

At least 5 of the femurs were from males and at least 3 were from females. One male and 1

female were young adults. Additional bones included some vertebrae, skull fragments, 2 mandibles

and a child's right ilium.

PATHOLOGY: Two femurs, 1 from a male and 1 female had severe osteoarthritis at the proximal end.

One male tibia had severe osteoarthritis at the proximal end. There was a healed fracture of a femur

shaft. The fracture seems to have occurred in the proximal third of the bone although the shaft was

incomplete. There was considerable overlap of the broken end and the fracture must have been

compound as osteomyelitis had affected the bone.

DENTITION: Mandible 1:_

-3-6-5-+3-2-+11 2 3 4 5 6 9-8

Attrition was severe on the first molars. There was also light to moderate alveolar recession around

the molars.

Mandible 2: _ 8765432 + 1 + 2

Calculus deposits were heavy on the buccal and lingual surfaces.

F2

The adult bones consisted of 2 left ulna, a left ilium from a young adult female, a few vertebrae

and the left side of a mandible. A parietal bone, a fragment of frontal bone, 3 cervical vertebrae, a left

and right hum?rus, 1 tibia and the right side of a mandible from a juvenile were also present.

DENTITION:

(1) _ 123456^8

NP There was little wear on the remaining teeth.

(2) _ /A6 e-S-4 ?

age of juvenile: 9-11 years.

F3

This consisted of fragments of femur, tibia and fibula, a fragment of right parietal and a left

femur from a juvenile.

F6

This consisted of a right femur and a right temporal bone from a male.




F7 The following minimum numbers of adult bones were present:

Left Right Hum?rus 7 6

Ulna 8 2

Radius 5 3

Femur 11 19

Tibia 7 9 Ilium 6 4

A minimum of 19 adults were present. Two parts of mandibles were present:

(1) ,_ 1-234567-8

There was very heavy wear on the remaining teeth. Linear enamel hypoplasia was noted on the canine.

The episode occurred between 3 and 4 years.

(2) _t 876?-f3??l

There was heavy wear on the molars. A left femur and right femur, and an ilium from a child were

present, and a right femur from an infant was also present.

F8

This consisted of a left and right hum?rus, a left tibia, the distal end of 1 right femur, a right ulna, and parts of 2 frontal bones. A fragment of mandible and a maxilla were also present.

Mandible:

-8-7 6-5-1

Molar attrition was light. Maxilla: 8765432 l|l 234567 There was very little wear on the molar teeth and calculus deposits were slight.

F9

This consisted of part of the rim of an adult pelvis only.

F12 This consisted mostly of animal bone, but 1 cervical vertebra which was severely arthritic and 1

metacarpal were also present.

F20 The adult bones consisted of a left tibia, a left and 2 right humerii, a right radius, an occipital,

and parietal bones from a skull in a poor state of preservation, and a few vertebrae and ribs.

Juvenile bones included a left tibia, 2 left humerii, a left radius, 1 ulna, a left ilium, and a few

vertebrae and ribs.

A fragment of maxilla was present: \7/6 e 1

The crown of the second molar was not fully formed. This individual was aged 7-9 years at time of death.

F21 This consisted entirely of animal bone.

F23 A juvenile skull was present which may be the skull of B4. It consisted of most of a cranium




although the right temporal bone and maxilla were missing. PATHOLOGY: Severe cribra orbitalia was observed in both orbits. DENTITION:

__^_

**+l4-&3 45 67/K

A lower right first molar and an upper first and second right molars were also present and

probably belong to this individual. From the state of the dentition it is estimated that this belongs to an individual aged 11-13 years. A number of other skull bones were present including 4 right and 3 left temporal bones, 3 occipital bones and 2 frontal bones. The minimum number of juveniles was 4.

One maxilla was present

ee d o b al The individual was aged 2-4 years at time of death. Some loose teeth were also present. Other juvenile bones were present. These included an almost complete right tibia, a right radius (L: 13.6cm), a left and right clavicle and a left and right scapulae, although these were from two different juveniles. There was also a left and right pubis, a right ischium and some vertebrae and ribs. The adult bones consisted of a left hum?rus, 2 right and 1 left radii, a very decayed left ulna, a left ilium and a few ribs and vertebrae. There was also a skull consisting of a frontal and both parietal bones, probably from a

male.

F25 Skull A: This consisted of an almost complete but broken male cranium. The outer surface of the bone

was very decayed. There was no maxilla but the mandible was complete.

8 7 6 5 4-5-H-4-3-4 5 6 7~X CC

ATTRITION: Molar attrition was light to moderate.

CALCULUS: Deposits were moderate on the surfaces of most teeth but heavy on the lower right

premolars.

CARIES: There was a small cavity on the buccal surface of the second right molar at the cervical

margin. The third right molar was virtually destroyed by caries and the pulp cavity was exposed. HYPOPLASIA: Linear enamel hypoplasia was observed on the left premolars. The episode occurred

between the ages of 3 and 4 years. ANOMALIES: There was a mandibular torus on the right side of the mandible at the third molar.

Other adult bones present included a left hum?rus from a female, a very decayed left clavicle and

1 metacarpal.

Skull B was a very fragmented juvenile skull. The frontal, both parietal bones, both temporal bones and the occipital were present, as well as the left side of a mandible with no teeth in situ. Some

loose teeth were present, these were incomplete canines and a deciduous molar. A juvenile with this

dentition would be aged 7-9 years. Other juvenile bones present included an occipital bone from a

skull, a right clavicle, a few vertebrae and a rib.

F32 This consisted entirely of animal bone.

F33 This consisted mostly of juvenile bone. A left and right femur, a left and right tibia, a left and

right radius, a right hum?rus, a right ilium, a right clavicle and a few ribs were probably from one individual. A further right tibia from an older juvenile was also present.

Adult bones consisted of a right ulna, a right clavicle, head of one femur and a few vertebrae and ribs.




F 34 This consisted of skulls, mandibles and long bones.

Skull 1 This was the almost complete calvarium of an older adult male. The maxilla was also present:

Skull 2 This was the complete calvarium of an adult female. The outer surface of the bone was very

decayed.

Skull 3 This was an almost complete calvarium of a possible male skull. The brow ridges were missing.

ANOMALIES: There were several lamboid ossicles and 4 ossicles at lambda.

Skull 4 This was an adult calvarium probably from a female individual.

Skull 5 This consisted of a frontal bone probably from a female.

PATHOLOGY: Cribra orbitalia was present in both orbits.

Skull 6 This consisted of a frontal bone from a male, a temporal bone and a right parietal bone.

Skull 7 This consisted of a complete adult male cranium.

PATHOLOGY: Porotic hyperostosis was present in both parietal bones, the occipital bone and the

frontal bone. There was a lamboid ossicle on the right. There was a large circular break in the bone on

the right parietal, but this probably occurred post-mortem. DENTITION:

6765432 1 1+-2-3-4 5 67-8

There was little wear on the teeth. Calculus deposits were moderate on the buccal surfaces.

Skull 8 This consisted of an adult female cranium.

PATHOLOGY: Cribra orbitalia was present in both orbits.

Skull 9 This was a complete male cranium.

PATHOLOGY: There were 2 button osteoma on the frontal bone. There was a lamboid ossicle on the

right-hand side.

DENTITION: ?9-65432 1 I 1 23456^8

Molar attrition was heavy.

Skull 10 This was an almost complete male cranium but there was no maxilla.




ANOMALIES: There were 4 ossicles at lambda. There was a small osteoma on the frontal bone. The

metopic suture was retained.

MANDIBLES:

0) -_._*

A? 6 5 4 3-2-1I+3-345 6 7/?K

The age of the individual was between 16 and 21 years. There was very little wear on the teeth

but calculus deposits were moderate to heavy on the lingual surfaces. Linear enamel hypoplasia was

present on the canines and premolars, with the episodes occurring between 2 and 6 years.

(2) _,_r_T_^_

XXKX+^-Hi mJOJH A

(3) _ 876?-43

C

There was a small caries cavity on the third molar at the cervical margin. Molar attrition was

moderate. There were moderate calculus deposits on the lingual surfaces of the molars.

(4) _ 8^6-5-4-3 |

There was little wear on the teeth and calculus deposits were moderate on the lingual surfaces.

(5) 87X543-2+1 + 2

CC There was moderate wear on the remaining teeth and moderate calculus deposits on the lingual

surface of the incisors. There was a small caries cavity on the buccal surface of the crown of the

second molar and a small cavity on the occlusal surface of the third molar

MAXILLA:

(1) . C 3-76-5-43-2-H + 23-45 67 8

Molar attrition was moderate, and calculus deposits were light on the buccal surfaces of the

molars. There was a small cavity on the occlusal surface of the left third molar. A palatine torus was

present.

(2) -8-965432 1 I 1 2 3 4 5 6 9-8 There was no wear on the remaining molars.

Long Bones

Left Right Unsided

Hum?rus 2 6

Ulna 2 4 Radius 4 3

Scapula 2 2 Femur 7 9

Tibia 7 6 1 Fibula 1 2 4 Ilium 4 3

The minimum number of adults present was 9. At least 3 were females and 2 were males. In




addition there were a number of tarsals, metatarsals, metacarpals and vertebrae present. Some arm

bones were recovered which belonged to Burial 8.

PATHOLOGY: Some of the cervical and thoracic vertebrae had severe osteophytosis and severe

degeneration of the inferior and superior surfaces of the vertebral bodies. A fifth lumbar vertebra had

spondyloysis. One thoracic vertebrae had a scooped-out lesion on the vertebral body, which may

possibly be due to tuberculosis.

Juvenile Bones

A number of juvenile bones were recovered. The minimum number of long bones present is

given in the table.

Left Right Unsided Hum?rus 0 1

Radius 2 2

Ulna 0 1 Scapula 1 2

Clavicle 1 0

Femur 2 3 Ilium 1 2

Ischium 2 2 Sacrum 3

There were some skull fragments present, including 1 occipital bone, 3 frontal bones and 3

maxillae.

(1) ed-e-b^l^W-dety The permanent molar was not fully formed. The juvenile was aged 2-5 years at time of death.

(2) 6odo2 1 | <ke This juvenile was aged 8-10 years at time of death.

(3) \/7 6 5 4?g-H

There was no wear on any teeth. The individual was aged around 15'/2years at time of death.

F38 This consisted of a left femur from a male, a few vertebrae, a fragment of parietal bone and a

right temporal bone from a male. A fragment of mandible with the following state of dentition was

present:

A juvenile clavicle was also present.

F39 The minimum numbers of adult long bones present were:

Left Right

Femur 1 0 Tibia 0 1 Hum?rus 0 2 Ulna 0 1 Radius 1 0




Clavicle 0 2 Ilia 2 2

There were also a number of skull fragments present, including 2 frontal bones, a right temporal from a female, a left temporal, a right parietal bone and an occipital bone from a male.

The left side of a mandible was also present: _ 34-5-678

There was very little wear on the molar teeth.

F40 The following minimum numbers of adult bones were present:

Left Right Hum?rus 6 3 Ulna 4 7

Radius 3 4

Scapula 2 3

Clavicle 3 2

Femur 6 5

Tibia 7 4 Ilium 6 7

At least 2 of the femurs were from male individuals and 1 was from a female. There were at

least 4 skulls and some mandibles present. SKULL 1 : This was an almost complete male cranium. The base of the skull was damaged probably

by grave-digging in the past. Dentition:

87654+^+|+^-345678

There was very heavy wear on the left molars and less wear on the right side. Calculus deposits were moderate on the left side and heavy on the buccal surfaces of the molars on the right side. Linear

enamel hypoplasia was present on the canine and premolars. The episodes occurred between 3 and 5

years of age.

SKULL 2: This was the almost complete calvarium from an old male. Part of the frontal was missing and there was no maxilla.

SKULL 3: This consisted of the frontal and both parietal bones from 1 individual. There was a lot of

decay on the outer surface of the bone.

SKULL 4: This consisted of a frontal bone, both parietal bones and part of the occipital bone from a

male skull. There were 2 lamboid ossicles on the left side.

Mandibles

(1) 8765432 1J12 3 45XXX

Molar attrition was moderate. Calculus deposits were moderate on the buccal surface of the

third left molar and on the lingual surfaces of the teeth on the right side. Linear enamel hypoplasia was observed on the incisors and canines. The episodes occurred between the ages of 2 and 4 years. There was little wear on the remaining teeth.




(2) -1

(3) |-6-^- 8

(4) - 8 * |

(5)

+ 3 2 1 |

12 3 45 67?

Molar attrition was light. Calculus deposits were moderate on the lingual and buccal surfaces of all teeth. Linear enamel hypoplasia was observed on the premolars. The episodes occurred between

the ages of 4 and 5 years.

(6) -_ 8 76543-24 |-*-2^-4

This mandible and many of the teeth roots were decayed. Molar attrition was moderate.

Maxilla (1) _

A right femur and a right ilium from a juvenile were also present. There was also a maxilla with

the following teeth present:

l-hy#cle6ty The individual was aged 8-10 years.

F41 The following minimum numbers of long bones were present:

Left Right Hum?rus 3 2 Ulna 2 0 Radius 1 0 Femur 2 3 Tibia 2 0 Ilium 2 2

A minimum of 3 adults were present, at least 1 of which was male and 1 was female. There were also

2 mandibles present.

(1) ___

Xm432l|l234Xm Eight teeth had been lost ante-mortem although the sockets for the third molars were not completely closed at time of death. There were moderate calculus deposits on the lingual surface of the incisors.

Linear enamel hypoplasia was evident on the incisors and canines. The episodes occurred between 2

and 5 years of age.

(2) I 45 67-8

There was a moderate amount of wear on the molars. There was a caries cavity on the occlusal surface

of the second molar.

The juvenile bones included a left hum?rus, a left femur, a right scapula and a right ilium. There



Excavations at Magdalene Tower, Drogheda

were 3 juvenile skulls present and 1 maxilla.

NP NP 6 5 c d c 2 1 1 The individual was aged 8-10 years at time of death.

F42 This consisted mostly of juvenile bones. The right parietal and frontal bone of a juvenile were

present as well as a juvenile ilium, a left ulna and 1 thoracic vertebra. The adult bones consisted of a

right tibia, the distal end of another right tibia and some ribs and metacarpals. PATHOLOGY: There was severe cribra orbitalia in both orbits of the juvenile frontal bone.

F44 The following minimum numbers of long bones were present:

Left Right Hum?rus 1 1

Ulna 3 1

Radius 1 1

Ilium 2 1

There was also a sacrum, a frontal bone and a fragment of parietal bone. Some juvenile bones were

present. These included a left scapula, 2 right humerii, 1 left and 1 right ulna, a left and right radius, a left femur and a right ischium.

PATHOLOGY: The left and right hum?rus were probably from the same individual, both had severe

osteoarthritis at the distal joint. There was gross lipping all around the joint surfaces and a large area

of eburnation on the capitulums. A right third metacarpal also had severe osteoarthritis of the distal

end. One left ilium and 1 right ilium had severe ostearthritis of the hip joint.

Bibliography

Abbreviations

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P. R.I. A. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy

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Bradley, J. 1978 The Topography and Layout of Medieval Drogheda1, C.LA.HJ., xix, 2, 98-127.

Brooks, E. St.

John

1953 The Irish Cartularies ofLlanthony Prima & Secunda, Dublin.

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Buckley, L.A. 1993a 'St Audoen's, Dublin: Skeletal Report' (unpublished).

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Sweetman, P.D.

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Fanning, T.

1988 Irish medieval tiles. Royal Irish Academy Monographs in

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Fenning, H. 1978 St Magdalen's Church Drogheda, Centenary 1878-1978,

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Halpin, A. and

Buckley, L.

1995 'Archaeological Excavations at the Dominican Priory, Drogheda, Co. Louth', P.R.I.A., 95C, 175-253.

Kelly, M.J. 1941 Three Monasteries of Drogheda', C.LAJ., x, 1, 25-41.

Leask, H.G. 1960 Irish Churches and Monastic Buildings, Vol. II, Dundalk.

Morris, H. 1906 The Magdalene Tower', C.L.A.J., i, 3, (1906), 77.

? Donnabh?in, B. 1985 'A Study of the Human Remains from Tintern Abbey, Co

Wexford' (unpublished M.A. thesis, N.U.I.).

? Donnabh?in, B.

and Cosgrave, U.

1994 'Report on the Human Remains from Crow Street/TempleLane, Dublin' (unpublished).

Ortner, D. and

Putschar, W.

1985 Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal

Remains, Washington.

Rynne, E. 1959 'Burial near the Magdalene Tower, Drogheda', C.L.A.J., xiv, 3

(1959), 191.

Schour, I. and

Massler, M.

1944 'The Development of the Human Dentition', Jn. of the American

Dental Association, 28, 1153-60.

Stuart-McAdam, P. 1985 'Porotic Hyperostosis: Representative of a Childhood Condition', American Jn. of Physical Anthropology, 66, 391-8.

Trotter, M. and

Gleser, G.C.

1952 'Estimation of Stature from Long Bones of American Whites

and Negroes', American Jn. of Physical Anthropology, 10, 463-514.

Trotter, M. and

Gleser, G.C.

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* Given incorrectly as Fanning in the publication.

Acknowledgements

This excavation was funded by Drogheda Corporation and I would like to thank the Town Clerk, Mr Brendan Hoey, for his co-operation during the excavation. I am indebted to John Murray and to

Martin Halpin, who prepared the drawings, Kieran Murphy, Stephen Balfe, Brendan Matthews and

Deny Murphy for their help on site. I would also like to thank Laureen Buckley for examining the

skeletal remains and Kieran Campbell for identifying the pottery. Above all I am deeply grateful to

my supervisor, Deirdre Murphy, without whom the excavation and post-excavation analysis could not

have been successfully completed. I would also like to thank Noel Ross for his assistance in seeing this paper through to publication.



Documents

Archaeological Excavations at the Magdalene Tower, Drogheda, County Louth