2004:1863 - FARRANKELLY/PRIESTSNEWTOWN/ KILPEDDER EAST, Wicklow

Monitoring of road construction work for the Greystones southern access route (GSAR) took place between February and March 2004; limited construction work in an archaeologically sensitive area on 27 May 2004 was also monitored. The GSAR had a total length of 2.24km and a construction corridor width of between 40m and 60m. The roadway is located in the townlands of Farrankelly, Priestsnewtown and Kilpedder East, around 2km south of the village of Delgany, Co. Wicklow, and 2km north-west of the village of Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow. The route follows a curving line extending between the R761 Greystones–Kilcoole road to the east and the N11 Dublin–Wexford road to the west. It will ultimately intersect the N11 at Drummin townland.

The route of the GSAR traversed twelve fields in the townlands of Farrankelly (Field 1), Priestsnewtown (Fields 2-11) and Kilpedder East (Field 12). Monitoring of topsoil-stripping commenced on 2 February 2004 with the stripping of a corridor for an ‘outfall’ drainage pipe. The outfall route, also known as the ‘dogleg’, extended between the southern side of the GSAR (Chainage 1000) and the edge of the Kilpedder Stream, forming the boundary between the townlands of Priestsnewtown and Kilpedder East. The outfall corridor was c. 178m in total length by c. 8m wide and was stripped in two days. The excavation of topsoil from the GSAR corridor itself was commenced on 9 February 2004, starting at Chainage 1480, on the western side of Rockfield lane (Field 9) and progressing due west. The work was largely completed by 2 March, although limited amounts of additional site-stripping took place on an occasional basis after this date. Archaeological excavations on the GSAR started on 11 February and were completed on 22 April 2004. In addition to topsoil removal, the project entailed considerable amounts of deep excavation work, including trenching for drainage pipes and the quarrying of bedrock in Fields 3, 4 and 5 to a depth of several metres.

All stripping work was carried out by tracked excavators fitted with large grading buckets. Features or deposits uncovered in the course of topsoil-stripping that were felt to contain material of archaeological significance were cordoned off with timber pegs and hazard tape and given a site number. The sites that contained little or no material of archaeological interest were investigated under the monitoring licence. Each archaeologically significant site was excavated under a separate licence. Where a number of sites were identified in close proximity to one another and appeared to be related, a single excavation licence was sought to cover all as a group. Seven excavation licences were issued to Ken Wiggins (Sites 1–2, 04E0267, No. 1880; Site 4, 04E0403, No. 1881; Site 5, 04E0402, No. 1882; Site 6, 04E0401, No. 1883; Sites 12–13, 04E0467, No. 1884; Site 14, 04E0466, No. 1864; and Sites 17–18, 04E0653, No. 1872, Excavations 2004). A further licence was issued to Christine Grant (Site 16, 04E0496).

A number of sites were investigated under the monitoring licence. These were Sites 3, 7–11, 15, 19 and 20, all of which were located in the townland of Priestsnewtown.

Site 3 was located on sloping ground in the northern half of the outfall drainage corridor, established on the southern side of the GSAR in Field 11 at Chainage 1000, c. 85m north-east of Site 1. The site consisted of a single pit. This feature measured 2m long (east-west) by up to 1.2m wide by up to 0.25m deep. The infill comprised crumbly grey/brown silty clay containing numerous small pieces of charcoal. There were no artefacts and no animal bones.

Sites 7/7a–b were located in Field 8, Chainage 1501-1560. Site 7 measured c. 16m (east-west) by up to 11.25m. Five features were identified in the area. C1 was a small patch of altered soil that was found to be of no archaeological interest. C2 was also considered to be of no archaeological significance. C3 was a subcircular pit-like feature that continued beyond the northern edge of the cordoned limits. The feature measured c. 95cm (east-west) by an excavated 0.9m by up to 0.1m deep. The infill contained some charcoal and small stones. C4 was an irregular feature measuring 1.22m (east-west) by 0.75m by c. 0.15m deep. The infill contained some charcoal. C5 was a subcircular feature measuring 0.75m (east-west) by 0.6m by up to 0.07m deep. The associated fill comprised a lower body of baked clay and a limited upper deposit of charcoal-enriched clay.

Site 7a was a much smaller area, measuring 4.7m (east-west) by up to 6m, located c. 30m north-east of Site 7. Two features were identified here. One of these was a tree bole and of no archaeological interest. The second feature was identified as a charcoal-enriched spread of clay and stones, measuring 0.85m (north-south) by 0.66m by up to 0.09m deep. When excavated, a trail of random medium-sized stones spread over an area measuring 2m (north-south) by c. 0.6m was revealed on the surface of the subsoil. This material appeared to be associated with the base of an agricultural ditch and was of no archaeological significance. Site 7b, c. 43m north-east of Site 7, contained a single potential feature, which was found to be of no archaeological interest.

Site 8 was located in Field 6, Chainage 1645. It measured c. 3m (east-west) by 3m. The site consisted of an agricultural ditch aligned south-west/northeast. A cluster of post-holes was identified on thenorthern side of this feature, associated with locally oxidised clay and some charcoal but no finds. There were some possible stake-holes in the base of the ditch.

Site 9 was located in Fields 4 and 5, Chainage 1695 to 1725. The site measured c. 31m (east-west) by 15m. A field boundary hedge (separating Fields 4 and 5) that was removed during the initial setting out/fencing stage of the project bisected the site along a north-south axis, and a single linear feature, C46, extending across the centre of the site, followed the line of the field boundary. Otherwise, the site contained several small pits and possible post-holes, which were either truncating or adjacent to ditch C46. One of these possible post-holes contained occasional inclusions of burnt bone in its primary fill. An isolated pit, C55, measured 1.6m (north-south) by 0.95m by 0.12m deep and was filled with loose brownish-black silty sand that contained frequent inclusions of charcoal.

Site 10 was located in Field 6, Chainage 1610. The site consisted of two post-hole-type features only. These were filled with crumbly grey silty clay containing a number of spots of charcoal.

Site 11 was located in Field 4, Chainage 1685. The site was a small area along a field boundary, at the south-eastern corner of Site 9. An irregular feature associated with charcoal appeared to relate to bush burning along the boundary and was of no archaeological significance.

Site 15 was located in Field 9, along the line of a temporary access road next to Rockfield lane, c. 90m north-west of the GSAR corridor, Chainage 1450. The site consisted of an area of grey silty clay containing some spots of charcoal lying in a slight hollow towards the north-west corner of Field 9. On investigation, it was found to be of no archaeological interest.

Site 19 was located in a wooded area between Fields 11 and 12, Chainage 660-685, and was a well-preserved burnt mound on the bank of the Kilpedder Stream. The exposed limits of the site measured c. 10m by 10m in outline. As this was a fill area in terms of the road construction, the site was covered in geotextile and preserved in situ.

Site 20 was located in Field 11, Chainage 720. It was identified as a limited spread of burnt-stone material measuring just 1m by 0.6m. The spread lay in a fill area to the east of Site 19 and therefore was not directly threatened by construction activity. The site was covered over and preserved in situ.