County: Donegal Site name: CARROWNAMADDY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 97E0120
Author: Ruairí Ó Baoill and Paul Logue, Archaeological Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Souterrain
Period/Dating: Early Medieval (AD 400-AD 1099)
ITM: E 600294m, N 902032m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.866115, -7.995409
An archaeological assessment was carried out at Carrownamaddy townland, Burt, Co. Donegal, on 23 April 1997, of a field containing a partially uncovered souterrain, in order that any associated archaeological remains might be brought to the attention of the planning authority prior to a decision being made on the erection of a house within the field.
The souterrain is located in the south-west corner of the field, where ground level is slightly higher than elsewhere. As first observed, a small portion of the eastern passage wall was visible at the extreme south-east end of the exposed souterrain. Several courses of drystone walling, to a depth of approximately 0.4m below modern field level, were recorded. At the other side of this part of the monument collapsed capstones overlay the western wall, which was not visible but could be located by hand.
Further along the souterrain to the north, two in situ lintel stones were exposed to a length of 0.8m and 0.5m respectively. Several disturbed capstones were also noted. The method of roofing appeared to be that a double course of capstones were set on slight corbelling. These were in turn covered with smaller stones and a gravelly soil deposit. Above this level was an extremely thin depth of topsoil, a mixture of the gravel, turf and grass.
The souterrain seems to have a drop-creep entrance, located at the extreme north-east of the visible monument. This appeared as two substantial sidestones demarcating a roughly square depression in the souterrain mound. The passage appeared to narrow before turning and widening out towards the hedge-line (the western limit of the development site). Where the in situ capstones survive, the passage appeared to be approximately 1.1m wide. Further along, at the point where the walling was exposed, the passage appeared to be roughly 1.3m wide.
No visible habitation structures associated with the souterrain were located and the full extent of the monument could not be clearly defined.
In the course of the assessment seven trenches, all roughly 2m wide, were excavated by a mixture of machine and manually, along the line of the proposed driveway of the house (east of the souterrain) as far as the location of the proposed garage and septic tank. Six of these were excavated parallel to each other, roughly east-west, across the southern half of the field. The trenches varied in length from 34m to 40m. The seventh trench, 20m long, was excavated along the western field boundary, north of the souterrain.
Nothing of archaeological significance was observed in any of the trenches apart from Trench 2. Here, at the western end of the cutting and some 12m east of the souterrain, were uncovered two deposits within a shallow cut. A sherd of late medieval pottery was recovered in one of the cut fills, along with burnt bone and slag. Given the presence of these, it may be that the area was used for metalworking in the late medieval period. It is unlikely that this activity was contemporary with the souterrain usage.
A zone of potential archaeological sensitivity around the souterrain was recommended as a result of the assessment and was incorporated into the planning condition for the proposed development.
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