County: Kildare Site name: KILHILL, Kill
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 98E0179
Author: Clare Mullins
Site type: Enclosure
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 694092m, N 722935m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.248441, -6.590105
Archaeological monitoring was carried out at the site of a housing development at Killhill, Kill, Co. Kildare, on various dates from February to August 1998. The development site lies just outside the zone of archaeological potential for Kill and is surrounded by several other archaeological sites. A large enclosure, SMR 20:1, encompasses the base of Killhill, which is situated a short distance to the east of the development site. Monitoring was conducted of topsoil-stripping within the housing area and of trench digging for the laying of service pipes from the housing development into the centre of Kill village.
During monitoring of the pipeline no archaeological features or artefacts were noted. Some unusual deposits were identified in one area, just east of the junction between the old Dublin road and the motorway access road, along a stretch of several metres of the pipeline. These deposits consisted of deep, silty sediments with occasional timber inclusions. A secondary deposit, which contained frequent timber inclusions, occupied a depression within the more generalised layer of silty material. In section this secondary deposit appeared to represent the fill of a ditch or pit that was 2.5m wide and 1m deep, but such an interpretation must remain speculative given the limited nature of the evidence.
Topsoil-stripping for the housing development was carried out using a toothless bucket. Topsoil was stripped just to the surface of the natural over an area of approximately twelve acres. No archaeological features were identified. Several fragments of burnt bone and a few tiny fragments of charcoal were found during the course of soil-striping, but in no instance did any of these appear to be associated with structural features within the ground. Several of the bone fragments appeared to derive from a relatively localised area within the general site. On this basis, and as an added precaution, the reduction of levels into the natural for the creation of a roadway through this area was also monitored. This linear strip was treated as a test-trench, and its sides and base were inspected. No features of archaeological significance were noted within the trench. Another test-trench, inserted through an apparently disturbed area, also failed to reveal evidence of archaeological material.
Several fragments of flint were also found during the course of soil-stripping. These mainly comprised unworked pieces, but two represented struck flakes and one appeared to represent a core from which flakes had been struck. A single sherd of medieval pottery was also recovered.
39 Kerdiff Park, Monread, Naas, Co. Kildare
