County: Wexford Site name: FERRYCARRIG, Newtown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Claire Cotter
Site type: Castle - ringwork
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 701228m, N 623050m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.349690, -6.514129
The site stands at the north edge of the Irish National Heritage Park, Wexford, on high ground overlooking the River Slaney. A further season of excavation, funded by the Social Employment Scheme, was carried out in July/August 1987. Work was concentrated on 3 cuttings in the interior of the ringwork.
Cutting A
This cutting in the west sector of the interior was originally opened in 1986 as it was then proposed to build a viewing shelter here. A surface layer of stony chippings, containing mainly 13th-century pottery etc., has been partly disturbed by activity associated with the construction of the round tower in the 19th century. A robber trench at the east end of the cutting is of similar date.
Beneath this layer, a dump of occupation material reached a max. depth of 1m and yielded mid-13th-century local ware. Ham Green and Saintonge ware, horseshoes, iron slag and bloom, two silver long-cross pennies and a quantity of animal, bird and fish bones. At the west end of the site this dumped material abutted the bank which tailed off, and did not continue to the north-west edge of the promontory.
The dumped material overlay a burnt layer containing abundant charcoal - possibly the remains of a flimsy wooden building. An intensively burnt area towards the east edge of this spread of charcoal may be associated with iron-working. At the east end of the cutting a hearth set in a hollow was defined along the south edge by large stones. An iron (?) battleaxe and a short-cross halfpenny were associated with this.
Cutting B
A section was cut through the enclosing bank and inner revetment wall here. The bank, c. 1.8m high max., was composed for the most part of upcast sterile boulder clay and no features were evident in the underlying old ground level. The revetment wall, c. 0.5m high max., is contemporary with the bank. No finds associated with the construction of the bank/wall were recovered, but a mid-l3th-century long-cross penny, found in the occupation material abutting the wall, gives a terminus post quem for its construction.
Cutting C
In the east sector of the site a platform of material extends into the interior forming a continuation of the enclosing bank. This latter is crowned by a massive stone wall, only a single course of which survives. The south wall and a short section of the west wall of a 13th-century rectangular building were also uncovered directly below the topsoil on the bank crest. At the west and north sides of the platform further remains of the much-robbed walls of this building were exposed. The platform itself is composed of bedrock chippings, upcast sterile boulder clay and some redeposited occupation debris; it appears to have formed a solid foundation for the building.
Remains of random stakeholes, c. 0.4m long and 80-100mm in diameter were evident in the bank beneath the rectangular building and may be the remains of the municipium referred to by Geraldis Cambrensis.
2 Rathmore Lawn, South Douglas Road, Cork
