1998:518 - NAVAN: 28 Trimgate Street, Meath

The site lies just west of the line of the town wall. The wall crosses Trimgate Street in a curved line towards the north-east; it is considered possible that the east wall of Dunnes Stores incorporates the wall (Bradley, 99). One property, Dunnes Stores, separates the line of the wall from the development site, and therefore it was considered possible that a town ditch lay in the area of the development.

While it was not possible to carry out a detailed survey of the standing structures, there was no obvious evidence of medieval or early post-medieval fabric in them, and little disturbance was expected. One trench tested the back of the site for the proposed extension. An overburden of grey, stony material was exposed along the length of the trench; this layer was 0.6m deep and overlay a light brown clay, interpreted as natural boulder clay.

A pit had been dug into the boulder clay. It was at least 2.3m wide at the top and was 0.7m deep, with straight sides. The fill was organic, with wood chippings and fibrous material resembling horse manure. The pottery recovered from the fill was early 19th-century black-glazed ware, and some sherds of bottle glass were also found. The feature was interpreted as a pit into which rubbish had been thrown, probably sometime in the last century, most likely associated with the use of the building fronting onto Trimgate Street. No feature or object of an earlier date was observed during the testing.

Reference:
Bradley, J. The Urban Survey for Co. Meath.

Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath