County: Kilkenny Site name: 'ABBEY HOUSE', Jerpoint Abbey
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 98E0554
Author: Martin E. Byrne
Site type: Settlement deserted - medieval
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 656904m, N 646835m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.569844, -7.160578
A programme of trial-trenching was undertaken at a proposed development at Abbey House, Jerpoint Abbey, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, on 19 November 1998. The work was undertaken in compliance with conditions attached to the grant of planning in respect of a rear extension to the existing building.
The site lies c. 16km south-south-west of Kilkenny City and c. 2km from Thomastown, on the main Dublin-Waterford road (N9). It lies to the immediate north-west of Jerpoint Abbey, across the above-mentioned road. It consists of a mid-18th-century house with a modern rear extension, with a number of outbuildings situated to the north and north-west. One of the outbuildings is a dilapidated cornmill with an associated mill-stream, which runs in a north-south direction, parallel to the Little Arrigile River. The ground surface falls noticeably towards the mill-race and river. However, in the area of the proposed extension the ground surface has been built up to be level with the existing house area. This work was done when the existing extension was constructed a number of years ago.
The proposed development site lies on the eastern boundary of an archaeological complex, listed in the Recorded Monuments for County Kilkenny as 28:62 and classified as a deserted settlement (i.e. Newtown Jerpoint).
Three trenches were excavated by machine. In general the original ground level was raised when the existing extension to the rear of the house was undertaken. Indeed, there was evidence that the original topsoil horizon was disturbed in the northern part of the development area, and it is probable that such disturbance is associated with the existing services. It appears that the ground surface was raised by up to 800mm above the original. Furthermore, evidence from Trench 3 indicated that the original ground surface fell gently towards the river.
No features, structures or finds of archaeological interest were uncovered, and consequently it was recommended that no further archaeological involvement was required.
39 Kerdiff Park, Monread, Naas, Co. Kildare
