2016:268 - PORTADOWN: Moneypenny's Lock, Newry Canal (Bracagh), Armagh

Monitoring was carried out at Moneypenny’s Lock, Newry Canal, Brackagh, Portadown from 15 to 21 September 2016. This work was carried out under Scheduled Monument consent (Ref. B142/99 R14). This report is intended to discharge the archaeological conditions attached to the development. The standing stone walls of the lock were discovered to be built on top of a brick foundation. It is likely that this brick foundation was part of the original lock dated 1730–1742 with the stone lock being part of the 1801-1812 refurbishment phase. The brick foundation was built on top of a flagstone floor. An interesting feature of the walls was that the base tapered in slightly; this may suggest that the original lock was narrower than the later stone one.

A few pieces of worked stone were recovered from the base of the lock, along with two pieces of hand railing and two pieces of the gate mechanism. There were also two pieces of chain that would have been attached to the gates. One very large piece of timber was uncovered, this was too large to have been part of this lock gate but it is believed to have come downstream from a deeper lock, possibly Terryhoogan’s Lock.