1997:170 - DUBLIN: Vicar Street/58–59 Thomas Street, Dublin

The site is outside the city walls of medieval Dublin. Directly across Thomas Street is St John the Baptist's Hospital of the Fratres Cruciferi. Situated outside the New Gate, this hospital for the poor and infirm was founded by Ailred Palmer between 1185 and 1188. This may account for the depth of the pits and the huge quantity and variety of medieval pottery found on the site, as well as the ironworking layers of medieval date.

Archaeological excavation took place in advance of development at Vicar Street in October–November 1997. Trial-trenching had already taken place at the beginning of October 1997 and evidence of archaeological stratigraphy was found on the site.

The site is composed of two properties facing onto Thomas Street. Both properties are cellared and there is a backyard area off one of the properties, No. 59, which is not cellared. The cellaring cut through the archaeological layers on the site, destroying all but a pit which survived at the north end of No. 58 Thomas Street. In the backyard area of No. 59, at the south end of the property, deep archaeological layers survived.

In Cutting 1 was found a pit defined by a row of stakes. At its north end, where it may have run further north (under the present main road), it was cut off by the front wall of No. 58. It was cut off by a cellar wall to the east and post-medieval disturbance to the west. There was a row of stakes on the south side of the pit. The pit was composed of a dark brown to grey very organic soil (F16). It produced much leather, animal bone, iron slag and medieval pottery. The medieval pottery is being studied by Clare McCutcheon and is of late 12th- to 13th-century date, comprising Dublin-type coarseware, Dublin-type Ware and Dublin-type fine ware, a standard collection for that period in Dublin.

Cutting 2, when first cleaned over, revealed a number of features. These were divided into organic wood deposits and deposits containing dark gritty material with slag-waste and charcoal. One feature was a long channel containing light brown-grey organic material with wood fragments.

Further excavation revealed two small pits. One, Pit A, was found to have a base of red oxidised clay which had been exposed to intense heat. In the pit were also found the remains of what appeared to be a large basin of extremely rough clay and a fired ceramic plug. To the south of this pit, clearly related to it, was Pit B, which produced layers of iron waste, furnace waste, dark soil and medieval pottery, very similar to the pottery found in F16 at the north end of the site. A very large quantity of iron slag was also found. Though further study of the features associated with ironworking will take place, it seems that Pit A was an ironworking furnace while Pit B might have had some other function in the process.

The evidence suggests that the pit at the north end of the site and the ironworking features on the south end were probably contemporary and that they formed the earliest level of occupation in this part of the city.

30 Ramleh Park, Milltown, Dublin 6