1989:035 - DUBLIN: 4-5 High Street, Wood Quay Ward, Dublin

Archaeological monitoring of a foundation trench, 4.5m wide and averaging 6m in depth, at the rear of 5-9 High Street revealed that the 18th-century buildings which had fronted onto Bums Court had destroyed the archaeological record in this area. All that survived were two truncated pits of which 0.2m had been left undisturbed. However, as the foundation trench turned southward along the line of 5 High Street, machine work was halted as it came into contact with archaeological deposits.

A cutting 3m east-west by 8m north-south was opened within the line of the foundation trench. The undisturbed archaeological deposits were sealed by c.2.3m of 18th-century material, some of which was intrusive in the form of drains and wall foundation trenches. The date range for the entire site is 11th to mid-13th century. A shallow trench, 2m wide, max depth 0.2m and of east-west orientation, was cut into the boulder clay. This trench was also cut by a large cess-pit, the sides of which respected the width of the trench. The excavated section of this pit revealed two large corner posts. The alignment of this trench at boulder clay level was further reflected in the overlying stratigraphy by a continuity of boundary fences. There was no discernible evidence of occupation immediately above the boulder clay apart from a small depression delimited by a double row of posts which housed a few fragments of human skull. Above this the accumulation of layers was mostly habitation related, phases only identifiable in their relation to nearby occupation.

It is not until the late 12th/early 13th century that the site reveals evidence of structures. In the early 13th century the earlier established boundaries go out of use and a deliberately laid surface of sand and marl forms the foundation for a post-and-wattle structure (max. width 3.3m north-south) constructed over the previously unused demarcated area in the centre of the site. Cut into this uppermost level, intrusive pits yielded pottery dating to the mid-13th century.

The artefactual record evidenced the site's close association with nearby habitation. Among these finds were a number of bronze cloak pins, combs, knives, spearheads and a vast array of nails. The pottery assemblage was mostly mid-12th to mid- 13th century in date, 54% being Dublin-made wares with a further 35% coming from the south-west of England. The pottery sherds recovered were most fragments of cooking vessels and jugs.

The site, which yielded 2.1m of primary archaeological material, was basically a mass of homogenous layers, which were for the most part habitation-associated, dating from the 11th to the mid-13th century. One find of particular note was a bone trial piece with a mix of Ringerike and Urnes styles, dated c. 1050.

132 Finglas Park, Finglas East, Dublin 11