County: Limerick Site name: LIMERICK: John Street, Custom House
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: B.J. Hodkinson
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 558059m, N 657343m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.665646, -8.620034
This site is one of approx. 14 sites within the Designated Area. This is part of the 'Limerick: Inner City Project', which is being run under the supervision of Cecile O'Rahilly (appointed City Archaeologist by Limerick Corporation in October 1986).
The excavation in John Street, Limerick, commenced in October in advance of redevelopment (Site No. 11 of the Designated Area). Funding for the work is provided jointly by the Corporation and the developers. Two conjoining areas are to be developed and the site is therefore being excavated in two stages. Stage 1 is now completed and it is hoped that Stage 2 will be completed early in 1988. This report deals only with Stage 1.
The area excavated lies at the corner of John St. and Davitt St. and measures c. 8m along John St. by c. 21m. The northern and southern boundaries are provided by the stone foundations of recently demolished buildings and a third wall foundation bisects the site longitudinally to form two plots. At the front of both plots were deep cellars which have removed all stratified deposits. All these walls are post- 17th-century.
Medieval features were few, being mostly pits and depressions of uncertain function. There was one hearth, directly above the natural clay, which had been badly cut by the southern wall foundation. The absence of building remains, together with the presence of a grey-brown silty clay which covered the whole area, led to the conclusion that the area was back-yard or garden throughout the medieval period. The finds were few, being mostly pottery (imported and local) and animal bone.
Seventeenth-century features were more substantial and included the remains of at least one wattle and daub structure which had been destroyed by fire. The flue of a kiln was also uncovered but its chamber had been destroyed by the cellars. A shallow pit at the mouth of the kiln was found to be contemporary with it and the two features seem to have formed one unit. Neither the pit nor the kiln produced definite evidence for the use of the kiln. A coin of James II was found in the demolition debris of the kiln.
56 Stranmillis Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AT
