1977:083 - ARMAGH CITY: No. 16 Scotch Street, Armagh

Excavation at this site in 1976 (Excavations 1975-1976) had been justified on the grounds that the vacant premises overlying the site of Temple na Ferta might be re-developed. Impending building in the garden behind Dobbin’s house, thought in 1976 to be unlikely, necessitated the excavation of small areas at the periphery of the garden in autumn, 1977. Nothing new in terms of phases or structures was located but the lines of the complex ditches revealed in the previous season have been extended and plotted accurately. It was also possible to test the relationship of several enigmatic features to more securely dated structures. Medieval activity has been traced all over the area examined but the few Early Christian period finds can now be seen to be restricted to the NE corner of the site, that is in the direction of the present Scotch Street. Small finds of coarse pottery were relatively common but two rubbish pits produced sherds of both souterrain ware and everted-rim cooking-pottery. Though mixing of small finds is to be expected in a constricted site occupied over a long time this could be seen as evidence for overlap of the types.