County: Dublin Site name: CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, Coolock
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: D.L. Swan, Heritage International
Site type: Mill - unclassified and Ecclesiastical enclosure
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 719785m, N 739074m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.388232, -6.199216
The recent recovery from here of the lower stone of a horizontal water mill, together with a few sherds of 13th/14th-century pottery, indicated the possibility of a site of greater than average interest. Thus, when some further works within the area of the church precincts were proposed, it was decided that preliminary archaeological excavations should be undertaken.
Work began in August, 1990, and continued over a period of three weeks, using local voluntary labour. The church authorities of the parish of St John the Evangelist were responsible for funding.
Excavations were confined to two areas, the first, along the south wall of the church, where a stone cross is located, and where the line of a rectangular structure could be seen. The second area was located close to the boundary wall, to the south-east, where traces of a disused entrance could be identified.
In all areas there was evidence for considerable disturbance extending to a depth of over 2m in places. Most of this disturbance had been caused by repeated burial, with the recovery of broken slate and mortar fragments at all levels. Only one articulated burial was encountered in the cutting outside the wall of this structure, which proved to be a post 18th-century vault. There was some evidence that the present church, built in the mid 18th century, had been constructed on the foundations of an earlier structure.
In the area to the south-east, where an earlier gateway had existed, there was evidence for an outer ditch, with inner bank, and burial within the line of the bank.
Small numbers of finds were recorded, generally without stratigraphical context. However, among these was a bronze penannular brooch of the type sometimes referred to as 'brooch pin', as well as the remarkably well preserved pin of a second brooch, both occurring high in the fill of the deposits close to the wall of the church. As well as these, a small lead ingot and a piece of worked antler gave further evidence for early medieval activity on the site. Some sherds of 13th- or 14th-century pottery as well as portions of glazed roof tiles indicated occupation during this later period.
32 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin
