2007:488 - DUBLIN: 17–18 Longford Street Great, Dublin

A test excavation of the site was requested as additional information. The site is located in an area of high archaeological sensitivity, within the probable enclosed ecclesiastic site of St Peter’s. The church of St Peter is a pre-Norman foundation, mentioned as the church of Sts Paul and Peter in c. 1121 (in the Book of Uí Maine, Clarke 2002, 17). The church is confirmed as part of the possessions of the property of Holy Trinity Priory in c. 1179 (Allen’s register, in Clarke 2002). It is described again as St Peter de la Hulle in 1262 but by 1294 was too poor to be taxed. It was in ruins by 1370 but was to be repaired. Of considerable significance is its siting within the north-west corner of the probable ecclesiastic enclosure described by the curving street pattern of Stephen Street Upper/Whitefriar Street. Archaeological excavation has shown that the church site of St Peter was enclosed by a ditch, which was infilled by the later 12th century.

Trench 1 was located along the northern boundary of the site. The walls of the 19th-century basements were located; these were of red brick and rendered internally, with tiled floors. The floor levels were cut through by sewers and drains and overlain by loose rubble fill.

A cess pit of late 18th-century date was located at the extreme north-east of the site; this contained many large wood shavings, black sulphurous material—stable cess, perhaps—and late post-medieval pottery, including a creamware jug. The base of a calp wall was uncovered, which is probably part of the theatre; however, the line was reused in the later buildings. A mortar floor was present on the west side of the wall.

Trench 2 was opened on Stable Lane, to confirm the presence of basements here. The floor of the basement was of tiles and was present at 1.97m below present ground level. Beneath the floor, more disturbed rubble fill was present, which overlies a c. 0.2m-thick layer of clean greenish clay silt.

The clean brick-free clay silt overlies a thin demolition level of limestone spalls, lime mortar and lime render. The metatarsal of an adolescent was also recovered from this material. The building debris overlay a clean, trampled clay surface, which resembled a floor level. The lime render is indicative of an internal wall facing, not just a wall boundary. The evidence suggests that an intensively robbed-out medieval building is present on at least part of this site.

The evidence indicates that in situ medieval remains are present over part of the site. The building remains of the Longford Street Theatre are also present. Approximately 2m of red-brick debris are also present.

There is still a possibility that a small pocket of graveyard soils, with articulated burials, is present, particularly along the north-west corner of Stable Lane, although both trenches indicate that there is extensive cellaring of the plots. Disarticulated bone and finds from the earlier levels may be present in the later cellar fill, as found at the site at the west side of Stable Lane.

Reference
Clarke, H.B. 2002 Dublin to 1610, Irish Historic Town Atlas. Dublin.