County: Louth Site name: DROGHEDA: Shop Street/Bessexwell Lane
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 24:41 Licence number: 97E0430
Author: Deirdre Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 708943m, N 775102m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.714213, -6.349578
Archaeological testing was carried out in advance of a proposed commercial development at the southern junction of Shop Street and Bessexwell Lane, Drogheda, Co. Louth. The site lies in the heart of the medieval town.
Two trenches were dug. Trench 1 was oriented north-west/south-east and was 4m long, 1.9m wide and 1.3m deep. The top 0.8m was very disturbed and consisted of red brick rubble. This overlay a light brown, sticky clay with charcoal flecks. This extended to 0.94m below ground level, where a grey, silty loam was evident. This contained shell, bone and late medieval pottery. It extended to 1.04m deep and overlay a fine, green, compact sand. This overlay a further grey, silty clay, which contained medieval pottery.
Trench 2 was excavated in an east-west direction parallel to Bessexwell Lane. It was 4.8m long, 1.4m wide and 1m deep. Red brick rubble extended to 0.8m below and overlay a brown, sticky clay loam. This extended to 0.94m below the surface. This overlay a grey, sticky silty clay similar to that in Trench 1 and containing medieval pottery.
No further excavation took place.
15 Trinity Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth
