1997:309 - KILKENNY: 10–13 St Kieran's Street, Kilkenny

An archaeological assessment was carried out at Nos 10–13 St Kieran’s Street, Kilkenny, between 10 and 12 September 1997. Four trenches were excavated in advance of the redevelopment of an area south-east of Dunne’s Stores (which fronts onto St Kieran’s Street). All trenches produced archaeological deposits and there was substantial in situ survival of medieval stratigraphy. Two engineering boreholes being excavated in the environs of the assessment were also examined. One of these produced sherds of medieval and post-medieval pottery.

Trench 1 was excavated in the back garden of No. 11 St Kieran’s Street. It had been hoped to test all four properties, but owing to the fact that the boundary walls of each were still upstanding only No. 11 was accessible. The trench was 5.5m long north-south x 1.5m wide east-west. A highly organic medieval horizon was encountered at a depth of 1.4m below present ground surface. Subsoil was not reached owing to the high water-table and collapsing section faces.

Artefacts recovered included locally produced glazed pottery (parrot beak/bridge spout), roof slate and animal bone. The horizon appears to be of 13th–14th-century date. Within the trench 18th–19th-century deposits yielded sherds of transfer-printed earthenware, glazed red earthenware, North Devon white salt-glazed earthenware, miscellaneous stoneware, creamwares and tin-glazed earthenware.

Trench 2 was located north-east of Trench 1, in an area currently used as a carpark. It was 13m long x 2m wide, and aligned south-west/north-east. There was approximately 2.5m of stratigraphy within the trench where it was bottomed at its eastern end.

Two distinctive and thick horizons of medieval activity were observed within the trench. The earliest yielded sherds of glazed locally produced pottery, Ham Green ware, perforated roof slate, animal bone and shell. A 12th/13th-century date seems probable for this level.

The second phase of medieval activity produced sherds of locally produced cooking ware and green-glazed ware along with pieces of Saintonge ware, animal bone and oyster shells. This horizon probably dates from the 13th–14th century. A single sherd of probable 16th-century transitional ware was also recovered from this level, but is almost certainly intrusive.

Trench 3 was located 12m east of Trench 2. It was 10m long north-west/south-east x 1.8m wide north-east/south-west. There was an approximately 3.6m depth of stratigraphy within the trench where it was bottomed at its southern end.

There was evidence of considerable post-medieval disturbance within the trench, including a red brick drain and a wall. However, two horizons, similar to those medieval levels uncovered in Trench 2, were observed within the trench. Unfortunately, no datable artefacts were retrieved to confirm this hypothesis.

Trench 4 was located within a disused hardware store in the adjacent property south of Trench 3. The trench was 8m long east–west x 1.6m wide north–south. Subsoil was not located within the trench owing to difficulties with visibility and the high water-table. Approximately a 1.6m depth of stratigraphy was investigated.

Probable significant archaeological remains were discovered just before the trench was deemed unworkable. This took the form of a wall uncovered at 1.6m below floor level, extending out a maximum of 0.15m from the north-facing trench section, and below the water-table. The date of this structure is unknown, but it pre-dates the two thick layers of post-medieval date found to make up the investigated trench stratigraphy.

Two engineering boreholes were also monitored in the area of the carpark. The first of these, close to the carpark entrance at Bateman’s Quay, yielded a sherd of locally produced glazed pottery, dating from the 13th–14th century, as well as fragments of animal bone. These were found at a depth of 2.5m below carpark level. While not conclusive evidence in itself, it suggests that in situ medieval deposits survive to (at least) a distance of 20m north-east of the assessment area. A sherd of 19th-century English stoneware, red brick and mortar fragments were also recovered at a depth of 1.5m below carpark level. No artefacts were recovered from the second borehole, 5m east of Trench 2.

An attempt was made to carry out an internal building survey of Nos 10–13 St Kieran’s Street, but this was deferred because of the current condition of the properties. No obviously medieval building fabric or architectural features were noted either internally or externally in the initial examination of the buildings.

Because of the quantity and quality of surviving medieval strata, indicating at least two phases of activity on site from the 12th–14th centuries, it was recommended that open-area excavation take place to establish the nature and extent of these archaeological deposits prior to redevelopment being permitted.

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