County: Wicklow Site name: NEWCASTLE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 96E0331
Author: Claire Walsh, Archaeological Projects Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 729022m, N 703532m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.066824, -6.074800
Archaeological assessment of the development site at Newcastle, Co. Wicklow, was undertaken on 22 November 1996. The site lies opposite the site of the medieval church of Newcastle and some distance from the castle. Newcastle was a significant borough in the 13th century, and documents of 1304–5 indicate that there were 191 burgages and two mills in the settlement. The site of the borough is unknown, although it is likely to have been centred on the church and castle. The borough was sacked by the O’Byrnes several times between the late 13th and early 15th centuries, after which it passed to the O’Byrnes and all records of the borough vanished.
Six trenches were opened by mechanical excavator. Soil cover was deep, varying from 1.2m to 0.8m in depth. Several undulations in the subsoil were apparent, indicative of cultivation. The soil was fairly homogeneous from top to bottom, however. Nothing of archaeological interest was encountered.
A single sherd of possible late medieval date was recovered from the ploughsoil. It is likely that the nucleus of the medieval borough of Newcastle lies further to the east.
Editor’s note: This excavation, though carried out in 1996, was not reported on in time for inclusion in the bulletin for that year.
25a Eaton Square, Terenure, Dublin 6W
