1994:063 - DUBLIN: Essex St. West, Dublin

The site lies in the north-east corner of the medieval walled town. It stretched from Essex St. West on the south to Lower Exchange St. on the north. An excavation was carried out on the site, in advance of development, from December 6, 1993 to March 11, 1994. It was funded by the developer, Temple Bar Properties Limited.

The site
Both Lower Exchange St. and Essex St. West are medieval in date with the latter probably a Viking street. A previous excavation at Lower Exchange St. (Excavations 1993, 21–2) indicated that it reflected the line of the city extension-wall, dated to the mid-13th century. Similarly, it was thought that the line of Essex St. West may have reflected the eastwards continuation of the early Viking city wall, exposed at Wood Quay and dated to c. 1100.

The Quarry
At the southern end of the trench the remains of an extensive quarry pit, dating to the 13th century, was located at a level of 2.15m OD. A high ridge of bedrock was exposed extending along the northern edge of Essex St. West. The bedrock had been quarried into a series of large steps with several 'rough-out' blocks recovered from the lowest levels. In addition extensive deposits of waste limestone chippings were also dumped in the centre of the trench.

No early wall was located and the quarry had effectively removed any earlier deposits. However, it seems likely the wall does lie on the high ridge, though perhaps further south. The street was widened in the early 20th century and the medieval boundaries are unclear.

To the north, towards Lower Exchange St., lay deep deposits of silt representing the original bed of the Liffey. Concentrations of reed fragments suggest mud-flats with heavy vegetation. To the extreme north lay a distinctive bright orange gravel interpreted as representing the active bed of the Liffey.

The Bank
The river flooded the quarry pit periodically while it was still in use, as is evident from small silt deposits which interleaved with the limestone chipping. Some time in the 13th century a low clay bank was constructed, to the north of the quarry, in order to retain the water. The bank was 6m wide and stood at least 1.1m high. It was lined with stones on the northern side where the Liffey lapped against its base.

Reclamation
The area then underwent an extensive reclamation programme of which two distinct phases could be identified. The first phase consisted of individual dumped organic deposits, tipped in from Essex St. West, to a depth of almost 2m. This infilled the quarry and sealed the bank beneath. This was followed by a more concentrated effort in the form of the deposition of pure black river silt, to a depth of 1.7m.

In the late 17th century the Smock Alley Theatre was constructed to the west of the site. However, no structural remains relating to the theatre were exposed. In the 18th century houses were constructed facing onto Essex St. West. These had deep cellars which damaged the underlying archaeological layers.

The Finds
The excavation produced a good assemblage of medieval pottery including several sherds with potters' marks. In addition the reclamation phase produced a man's gold finger ring with a mounted sapphire. Unusual finds included a dual-purpose toilet implement, with an ear-scoop at one end and a tooth-pick at the other, a bone tuning peg, part of a boxwood comb and a leather scabbard with four heraldic crests. A skull was also located which showed evidence of having been decapitated.

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