County: Dublin Site name: DUBLIN: Church and Hospital of St Stephen, Mercer's Hospital, Digges Lane
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Eoin Halpin
Site type: Church and Hospital
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 715625m, N 733826m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.342018, -6.263628
Excavation in advance of development took place in the car park at the rear of Mercer's Hospital over a 7-week period starring the 3rd week of October 1992. Two areas were opened towards the northern end of the site. These were selected for investigation because of the discoveries made by Alan Hayden in the adjoining plot in 1991, where he uncovered some skeletal remains and a section of a medieval wall, which he believed to be part of the complex of buildings associated with the medieval Church and Hospital of St Stephen. (Excavations 1991). Excavation in three-quarters of the site proceeded rapidly, uncovering evidence for 18th-century house plots, which overlay up to 1 m of 'garden soil' deposits. Beneath these were a series of interconnected gullies which crisscrossed the site at various angles. Pottery recovered from these suggest that they were medieval in date, but as yet no function can be ascribed to them.
The north-east corner of the site proved more problematical. Here, from a depth of less than 1 m below the car park, skeletal remains were uncovered. These continued to a depth of 3.5m where the final skeletons excavated were dug into undisturbed boulder clay. Associated pottery evidence suggests that the skeletal remains varied in date from the 19th century to the 13th century and the foundation of St Stephen's Hospital. The latest remains exhibited evidence of post-mortem surgery, presumably the final resting place of the cadavers used as teaching aids for the original College of Surgeons. The human bone recovered represented some 120 individuals, with the high numbers of babies being noteworthy.
A small section of walling was uncovered protruding from the north-east corner of the site. Examination of the masonry allied to the associated finds suggests it to be medieval in date and probably the southern corner of the building uncovered by Hayden. However, from the small portion uncovered it is not possible to suggest an exact function to the building.
Archaeological Development Services Ltd. Power House, Pigeon House Harbour, Dublin 4
