County: Down Site name: GREENCASTLE td
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Mr. Chris Lynn, Ancient Monuments Branch/Mm. of Finance
Site type: Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle
Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)
ITM: E 724624m, N 811810m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.040388, -6.097249
Excavation was commenced here in the winter of 1969-70, and a second season’s work is now in progress. The outer defences to north and east are being investigated and eventually the entire length of the rock-cut ditch on the east side will be emptied and conserved. All sections cut so far indicate a very rapid and deliberate in-filling of the ditch, probably not long after the castle was built. Much of the filling consists of stones evidently derived from the demolition of the curtain wall. In places the rubble does not seal a clearly defined silting layer, which indicates that the ditch did not lie open for any length of time. Large numbers of pottery sherds have been recovered and it is hoped that these will yield reconstructible portions of cooking pots and glazed jugs. Other finds include Iron knives, fragments of quern-stones, animal bones and shells.
