County: Meath Site name: TRIM
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: P.D. Sweetman, National Parks and Monuments Branch, OPW
Site type: Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle
Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)
ITM: E 680134m, N 756422m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.551599, -6.790706
The investigations of 1973 like 1972 were mainly concentrated in the bawn area between the keep and the south certain wall where a free standing stone structure had been previously discovered. A fosse, which appears to be contemporary with the stone structure, radiated outwards from each of the side walls, and presumably runs right around the present keep. The fosse and the open-ended stone structure appear to be part of the original defences of the Castle.
North of the free standing stone structure and immediately east of the west section of excavated fosse another stone building was discovered. The building is rectangular in shape and is set directly on the boulder clay like the open-ended structure. Its north-east corner was cut off by the keep and part of the foundations of the keep are built on the remaining portion of the north wall of the building. There was a layer of gravel lying over most of it and the top of this gravel was at the same level as the footing of the keep. It appears that the gravel was the result of levelling for the building of the keep and that it was spread over the rectangular structure before the foundations of the keep were built. Immediately to its east the gravel covers an occupation layer which is at the same level as the floor of the building and is therefore contemporary with it. This occupation layer is stratified over 60cm below the occupation layer which is associated with the keep. The south-west corner of this early building is cut off by the southern extremity of the fosse (west section), which means that it is earlier than this part of the fosse. However there is good evidence to show that the portion of fosse which cuts off the building is an extension of the original fosse, which means that the building could be contemporary with the early defences of the site rather than pre date them. No artifacts were found in the building.
Further sections of the battered plinth of the keep were exposed and no traces of a motte were found. South of the fosse (east section) and east of the open-ended structure a hearth with a series of postholes and stakeholes were discovered. The structure was stratified under the mortar layer and was associated with Ham Green pottery and an early type iron arrowhead. The mortar layer was shown to be associated with the open-ended structure in the 1972 season and to probably predate the keep.
The tower nearest the barbican was investigated. A 13th century blocking wall and a mural staircase were uncovered in the tower. Immediately north of this tower a 17th century lime kiln was discovered. An area from the south-west corner tower of the curtain walls eastwards to the next tower was partially excavated in order to facilitate conservation works.
The finds from Trim this year included the normal range of 13th century pottery plus an almost complete French parrot-beak spout jug.
