County: Limerick Site name: ABBEYFARM, Kilmallock
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 47:22 Licence number: 98E0538
Author: Sarah McCutcheon, Limerick County Council
Site type: Town defences and Historic town
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 560705m, N 628222m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.404116, -8.577471
The proposed development is an urban renewal scheme. An archaeological assessment recommended that a series of test excavations be carried out to ascertain the remains and to allow for advance mitigation.
Test-pits 1–4 were excavated where the proposed works were breaching the line of the medieval defences. The excavations were undertaken to ascertain how much, if any, of the medieval wall survived and to pinpoint the location of any gate structures so that the impact of the scheme could be mitigated in advance. Test-pits 5–7 were excavated in the area of the proposed carpark within the medieval town. Test-pits 8–10 were incorporated into this testing strategy in an area that may be developed in the future outside, but adjacent to, the town wall.
At the northern limit of the town (Test-pit 1) it appears that existing services and road widening had removed all traces of the town wall at the eastern side of the street. At the postern leading to the Dominican Priory (Test-pit 2) modern backfill extends below the proposed level of the surface water sewer by c. 0.9m. At the eastern Watergate no trace of the wall was found in the test-pit (3), and modern backfill had accumulated over the natural gravel to a depth of 1.5m.
At the southern gate (Ivy Gate, Test-pit 4) remains of the town wall and possibly the gate-tower were established. These consisted of the basal courses of a wall 1.3m wide that extended 3.1m into the street. A stone setting to the south-east, at right angles to the town wall, may represent a second wall and possibly the base of a gate-tower. Both walls were abutted by a cobbled surface.
In the green-field site boulder clay was generally established at 0.6–0.7m below existing ground level. Above this was a homogeneous 'garden soil'/silty clay, which contained pottery from a wide date range (13th–19th century). Some of this layer may have accumulated in medieval times; however, in the test-pits excavated no upstanding features were recorded. The remaining features (pits and drains) were cut into the boulder clay and were only recognisable at this level, given the similarity of the overlying strata. In the area closer to the street it appears that accumulated layers have been scarped and only features (pits) cut into the boulder clay remain, at a depth of 0.35–0.54m below ground level.
In the area proposed for future development the town wall was revealed below the existing ground level. Some layers of silt and charcoal were established c. 20m from/exterior to the town wall. Elsewhere in the field there was an accumulation of 'garden soil'/silty clay lying above undisturbed boulder clay. Sherds of medieval pottery were found in this layer, but it was featureless in the areas excavated.
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