1985:21 - NEWTOWNARDS, Down

Court Street
An approximately 14m x 13m trench on the frontage of this street encountered a 70-80cm thick layer of redeposited subsoil into which late 18th-century houses and drains had been founded. This sealed an earlier 18th-century open area ground level which in turn sealed a number of wall footings. These (2) ran at right angles to the frontage and consisted of sharply-cut trenches infilled with laid but unmortared  stones. The stoned were rounded (beach source?) and no sandstone slabs typical of later Newtownards foundations were employed. The walls are interpreted as being of buildings (one was founded to over 50cm), possibly of timber, since no demolition debris was recovered other than roofing slates. The buildings may date to between the late medieval and the later 17th-century. Earliest deposits were shallow layers of trampled subsoils containing medieval pottery (mostly jug fragments). Additional trenching back from the frontage confirmed the outline stratigraphy.

Greenwell Street
A sample 6m x 4m trench was opened on the frontage line of recently demolished buildings (19th-century). This cut down through a thick build-up of redeposited subsoil onto the footings of an early 18th-century house and associated ash/midden deposits. Earlier deposits consisted of mixed dark soils and trampled subsoil containing medieval pottery.

While the accumulation of medieval wares in some volume is valuable, evidence for both medieval and Plantation settlement remains elusive. Of particular note was the thick redeposited layer encountered in trenches some 130m apart. It seems possible that the later 18th-century re-planning of the town involved large-scale landscaping and the uniform provision of firm foundation material. While interesting in its own right, in terms of town development, this also suggests that earlier deposits were simply buried and have escaped later destruction, also that this layer may lessen the threat of modern development to archaeological deposits.

The Market Cross
Following the cessation of external conservation the masonry doorway was breached to gain access to this monument. This revealed a large dump of material and its removal was suggested. A partial removal of this material found that it was imported (containing masses of pottery, glass, clay pipe fragments and bone), rather than resulting from the re-roofing of the structure. Over 1m of this was removed, revealing as expected, a full-size doorway and an original floor horizon of sandy gravel subsoil. A probable fireplace remains buried. Clearly some 50cm of the lower masonry courses of the external face remain buried beneath the abutting, elevated road/plinth.