1997:382 - DROGHEDA: Moneymore, Louth

The Drogheda Main Drainage and Waste Water Disposal Scheme necessitated the excavation of various archaeologically sensitive sites within the town (Excavations 1996, 76–7). Several major sites underwent excavation in 1997, comprising John Street, The Mall, North Quay, Patrickswell Lane, the Haymarket, Dominick Street, Murdock’s Carpark, and further small sites on Bessexwell Lane, Dyer Street and the Marsh Road.

John Street
Excavation was undertaken from 20 January 1997 to 12 March 1997 along the route of the sewer. After initial site clearance, layers of post-medieval rubble and a series of wood- and stone-lined tanning pits of the same date were revealed. Under these were substantial medieval features, consisting of eight north–south clay-bonded walls dating from the 13th century to the later medieval period. These walls were accompanied by stone-built wells, drains and stone-lined pits.

This area was one of the earliest Anglo-Norman settlements in the town, located close to the motte at Millmount. These features are interpreted as the rear of burgage plots which originally fronted John Street to the north. The fronts of the plots and any house remains were probably destroyed by the construction of the dual carriageway.

Substantial quantities of medieval artefacts were recovered, including leather, iron objects, local and imported pottery and a gold ring.

The Mall
Excavation resumed at The Mall within the proposed precinct of the medieval Franciscan friary. A linear trench was excavated between 24 March and 27 June 1997 along the northern side of The Mall, which lies close to the medieval river front. Close to the junction of Mayoralty Street a substantial medieval wall running north–south was uncovered under a layer of 19th-century cobbling. This may be the precinct wall of the 13th-century Franciscan friary known to have existed in this area.

Further east a circular stone structure with a north-east-orientated flue was revealed and may be the remains of a kiln. It was filled with thick layers of mortar, crushed shell and charcoal, and may have been used to process the raw materials used in mortar production. A medieval or early post-medieval date is postulated for this.

In the final, most easterly stretch of the cutting, three walls running north–south were uncovered, two of which were medieval. Between the two walls a stepped platform overlay a series of medieval drains. These drains overlay a stone-flagged surface considered to be contemporary with the construction of the walls. Although the trench was not wide enough to uncover the whole structure, it was probably a defensive or commercial structure on the waterfront used by the Franciscan friary.

North Quay
Excavations at North Quay commenced in September and continued until mid-December 1997. A linear trench was dug for a length of 95m and a width of 1.5m, running east–west alongside the pavement from Mayoralty Street to No. 6 North Quay. It extended to an average depth of 3m, dug to facilitate the laying of pipes.

Layers under the roadfill largely consisted of thick post-medieval deposits of clay and slate, perhaps to cap the softer ground underneath. A black organic deposit containing medieval English, French and Irish pottery, leather, wooden objects and metal artefacts was found intermittently across the site. This layer built up over a considerable period of time and varied from 0.6m to 1.2m in depth. It was banked against a substantial stone wall constituting the medieval quay wall, which ran for the length of the trench. It was up to 3m in height, was mortared for the first metre and clay-bonded beneath, perhaps to allow for river action. This wall was above a substantial landfill of large stones and clay which had been dumped on the river silts.

A portion of a probable wooden revetment was uncovered some 1.5m south of the wall, under the landfill and above the river silt. A large oak base-plate incorporating mortices for uprights constituted the earliest structure of the quay side.

Patrickswell Lane
Excavations running north–south at the bottom of Patrickswell Lane in May 1997 revealed traces of an 18th/19th-century brick kiln. The medieval deposits consisted of deep black organic material containing a huge quantity of leather offcuts, shoes and a finely decorated scabbard, along with medieval pottery. The presence of large amounts of preserved vegetative material suggested that the area was marshland. The top of the medieval quay wall was located but severe flooding prevented further excavation.

Haymarket
Excavation at the Haymarket took place in July 1997 to facilitate the construction of a shaft for sewerage. This work revealed a north–south-orientated stone wall which may be part of a large culvert of post-medieval date. Under large layers of made-up ground, comprising clay and red brick, a series of cobbled surfaces of 14th/13th-century date were unearthed, each separated by a layer of silt and vegetative material. Under these was a thick layer of silt and organic material which contained medieval artefacts, which in turn lay on the natural river silt.

A trench which ran westwards from the southern shaft on this excavation on to Wellington Quay revealed a section of the medieval river wall running north–south across the site.

Dominick Street
Excavation took place on Dominick Street, bordering the present-day carpark. The area was badly disturbed by service pipes and several large walls which originally formed part of buildings fronting the street. At the south end of Dominick Street the medieval river wall was uncovered running east–west.

Murdock’s Carpark
Excavation took place in the carpark to the south of the Abbey of St Mary D’Urso. The cutting was approximately 5m wide by 7m long and revealed largely post-medieval walls which may have been part of the 18th-century saltworks, walls connected with the 18th-century Linen Hall, and a quay wall of a similar date. A large section of the medieval river wall was located in the west end of the trench. It measured over 1m in width, but only one course survived. The wall was almost 10m back from the present riverside.

Marsh Road
Archaeological testing was carried out in the area of the proposed Pumping Station and Treatment Works Site between 26 March and 29 April 1997 at Marsh Road, Newtown, Drogheda. This area was well outside the medieval town, on the south bank of the river towards Mornington. A total of twelve trenches did not reveal any features of archaeological interest.

On 24 July 1997, close to the location of the construction compound for the Pumping Station, the remains of an almost intact wooden boat were excavated from surrounding estuarine silt. The boat was hollowed from a single oak trunk and was 6.1m long and 0.85m wide. It had a pointed, partially destroyed prow and a flat detachable stern.

Finds of leather shoes, medieval pottery and a leather pouch along with a preliminary examination of toolmarks suggest a medieval date. Stones and stake-holes suggested that the boat had been moored there, and evidence for repair work was noted.

Dyer Street and Bessexwell Lane
Excavation was carried out of two circular trenches required for shafts. The shaft at the junction of Shop Street and Dyer Street revealed a major stone wall running east–west along the south side of Dyer Street. The shaft at Bessexwell Lane yielded organic deposits up to 2–3m in depth containing medieval pottery and leather. This lay over natural river silt which originally extended back to the gravel ridge at Bachelors Lane before medieval reclamation.

5 Trinity Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth