County: Dublin Site name: HOWTH HOUSE, Howth
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Alan Hayden
Site type: House - medieval
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 728523m, N 739325m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.388432, -6.067829
The site occupies a triangular area of some 0.8 acres and Howth House stands at its east end. St Mary's medieval church stands atop the cliff immediately south of the site. Test trenching was undertaken by Claire Cotter in 1992 and revealed the existence of a stone building of uncertain date on the site. Excavation was undertaken by the author over a 3-week period in June 1992.
The building proved to be of 13th- or 14th-century date and measured 8.6m east-west by 4m north-south internally and had walls up to 950mm in thickness, standing to a maximum height of 600mm. The building is likely to have had more than one storey judging from the stoutness of the walls. The entrance was situated at the east end of the building.Three floor levels were uncovered in the interior and took the form of mortar or clay floors with associated occupation deposits. Initially the ground floor may have been a single room but during the 2nd level it was divided into 2 rooms by a stone footing presumably carrying a wooden superstructure. The building was set in a trench partly cut into the rising ground below the cliff to the south and water seeping down the cliff face appears to have been a problem. This was alleviated by the construction of underfoot drains and a sump in the 2nd level. The building appears to have gone out of use and been demolished by the 15th or 16th century when the area appears to have been inundated by the sea and large sand banks were laid down.
As well as medieval pottery and iron objects a number of medieval line impressed tiles were uncovered from the occupation deposits in the house. During the period of the excavation the writer visited the adjacent St Mary's Church and discovered a number of sherds of similar type of floor tiles in disturbed ground there. It is therefore possible that the building uncovered may have had some connection with the church, possibly functioning as a forerunner of the 'Priest's House' that was built in the church grounds in the 15th or 16th centuries.
The work was commissioned and funded by the owners of the site in advance of selling it for potential development.
15 St Brigid's Rd Upr, Drumcondra, Dublin 9
