2001:924 - ROCKFIELD, Mayo

The proposed route of the Knock–Claremorris Bypass clipped the western edge of an enclosure which measures c. 42m north–south by c. 65m. At the northern edge of the enclosure a stretch of bank rises to c. 1.7m above the surrounding ground surface. An area measuring 30m north–south by 9m was excavated at the western edge of the enclosure. The excavation revealed a ditch and five external post-pits/holes.

The excavated area of the ditch measured 26.9m by 3.5m and was 1.5m deep. The sides of the ditch were steeply sloped. The slope of the inner edge of the cut was broken approximately midway by a continuous step. The base of the ditch was concave. The ditch was filled with a variety of deposits, most of which represented natural infilling. Material retrieved from the ditch consisted of bone, burnt bone and slag. The presence of 19th- and 20th-century pottery and clay pipe fragments in the upper ditch fills indicated modern disturbance. Finds of particular note, retrieved from disturbed contexts, consisted of two Edwardian silver pennies, dated to the late 13th–early 14th century, and a glass bead.

Five post-pits/holes were present outside the ditch. Two of the cuts (C45, C55) were substantial features and may have contained twin posts. C45 measured 1.3m by 0.9m and was 0.93m deep. C55 measured 1.23m by 0.83m and was 0.93m deep. The remaining three post-holes measured between 0.38m and 0.72m in diameter by 0.5–0.66m deep. A sixth possible post-hole was present at the edge of the ditch to the north.