County: Dublin Site name: DUBLIN: Davis Place
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 96E0374
Author: Malachy Conway, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 714926m, N 733426m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.338578, -6.274278
Archaeological test-trenching was carried out for the purposes of a planning submission for the redevelopment of a site on Davis Place, which runs between Francis Street (west) and John Dillon Street (east). The site is located just outside the medieval walled town of Dublin and is on or close to the site of St Francis's Abbey, founded in 1233. The assessment, comprising the mechanical excavation of a test-trench, was carried out on 8 January 1997.
Only a small portion of the northern end of the site was available for assessment. A single trench, 6m x 0.9m, oriented north-south, was mechanically excavated within a walled yard at the northern end of the proposed development area. Natural subsoil (yellow clay) was reached at a depth of 2.4m from present ground surface. The trench profile was composed almost entirely of black soil mixed with red brick, mortar and boulders. This deposit also contained numerous butchered animal bones.
Four post-medieval features were revealed, two of which were west-east-oriented walls, one of red brick and one of roughly cut stone blocks and brick. Partial remains of a north-south-running block and brick wall with mortar and a sporadic spread of slabs and boulders were uncovered at the base of the northern end of the trench.
Nothing of archaeological significance was encountered in this trench. Further monitoring and excavation at this site will resume when the main area of the proposed development site becomes cleared of standing remains.
Rath House, Ferndale Road, Rathmichael, Co. Dublin
