1994:067 - DUBLIN: 34/36 Francis St., Dublin

Pre-development site assessment was conducted at 34/36 Francis St., Dublin, for Heatherdale Contractors Ltd., on behalf of Archaeological Development Services Ltd., on May 25–26, and June 1, 1994. Trial trenches revealed interred human remains and medieval floor tile fragments. An excavation in advance of construction commenced on July 13, 1994 and continued for a period of four weeks.

An area 11m east-west by 6m north-south was excavated. The excavation revealed three distinct phases of activity.

1. The first phase was represented by the partial remains of two concentric slot trenches with postholes, cut into the natural clays in the south-west corner of the site. There were no finds associated with this feature

2. The second phase of activity relates to the burial ground of the Franciscan Friary, founded in the second quarter of the 13th century. Eighty-four burials were identified, recorded and excavated, within a 0.6m depth of stratified interment concentrated in the north-east corner of the site. Four of these were buried in stone-lined graves and the bases of two wooden coffins survived the constant burial process. The base of one of these coffins was made from a single oak plank, 1.98m (long) by 0.42m (wide) by 20mm deep. Finds associated with these burials include coffin nails, two-colour floor tiles and local and imported medieval pottery.

3. The final phase post-dates the disestablishment of the friary in 1540. A dump of clay pipe bowls, stems and waste, dating from the mid- to late 17th-century provides evidence of a 'fallow' period in the site's history. It may be suggested that it only took 100 years for local tradition of a graveyard to fade sufficiently before the Francis St. pipe makers, Devlin and McDowell, were provided with a convenient dump site.

146 Iveragh Rd., Whitehall, Dublin 9