1999:211 - DUBLIN: 141–143 James's Street, Dublin

Between April and May 1999 a number of fieldwork programmes including test-trenching, excavation and monitoring were undertaken at 141–143 James's Street, Dublin, following a planning application to develop an apartment complex with a carpark at basement level, retail units fronting onto James's Street and three townhouses fronting onto Bow Street. The archaeological deposits were concentrated between the surviving foundations of two 18th-century structures, Nos 141 and 142 James's Street.

Test-trenching at 141–143 James's Street was initially undertaken by Rosanne Meenan (see No. 210 Excavations 1999). One trench was excavated, which revealed the in situ remains of at least one individual at a depth of 1m below present ground level. At this point the trench was covered, and the rest of the proposed trenches were left unexcavated. The licence holder was no longer available to carry out the remainder of the trial-trenching, and the developer appointed the writer to complete the assessment of the site.

Test-trenching was completed between 15 and 17 April 1999. Two new trenches were opened. Trench 2 was 8m long and was orientated north-south. It ran perpendicular to and bisected the existing trench opened by Ms Meenan (Trench 1). Trench 3 was orientated north-east/south-west and ran for 12m along the northern end of the site. In addition to these trenches, the existing trench (Trench 1), orientated east-west, was extended westward for 5m.

Trench 3, to the north of the site, contained no evidence of archaeological material and consisted of, on average, 0.65m of modern rubble overlying boulder clay.

The excavation of the two trenches to the south of the site revealed four extended inhumations within a roughly square grave pit measuring 2.2m x 2.2m and several other archaeological features including 0.9m of dumped post-medieval deposits overlying the natural boulder clay. Some of the dumped clay also contained fragments of what appeared to be human skull, which suggested the presence of further inhumations on the site.

The site was visited by the City Archaeologist, who recommended that a small-scale excavation take place in the area surrounding the identified grave pit.

This excavation was undertaken between 26 April and 12 May 1999. It revealed two phases of post-medieval industrial activity, several dumped deposits of medieval clays and an isolated burial, which brought the total number of inhumations on the site to six. The site was divided into two areas, east (No. 141) and west (No. 142).

Phase 1 of activity on the site consisted of a shallow irregular pit in the eastern half of the site, which was medieval in date. This was sealed by 0.2–0.3m of dumped clays dating to the medieval period (Phase 2). The medieval deposits were also concentrated in the eastern half of the site.

Phase 3 was the truncated remains of a post-medieval industrial complex that was confined to the western half of the site. This consisted of a small oval pit containing lumps of iron slag, which was surrounded by a small area of metalling. Immediately to the north of the pit lay an east-west-orientated drain; 1m to the west lay a north-south-orientated line of five stake-holes, 5m long, which presumably acted as some form of fence, screening the pit and its associated activity from the surrounding area. Phase 3 occurred over the highly truncated remains of a layer of introduced clay that probably functioned as some form of flooring level.

Following the abandonment of this industrial area, the site was used as a burial-ground. Six articulated skeletons were recovered from the site. Five young males (17–30 years) were recovered from a single grave pit measuring 2m x 2m, in the south-eastern corner of the site. A further single inhumation, a female, was discovered in the north-western part of the site.

The disarticulated remains of at least a further four individuals, including those of a young child, were recovered from a number of dumped deposits across the site, suggesting the presence of more graves in the area. However, no further in situ human remains were recovered during subsequent monitoring.

The next significant phase of activity across the site was the construction of the 18th-century properties. A cobbled laneway and associated furnace were recorded in the western half of No. 142.

The removal of the remainder of the rubble across the site and of the natural geology was monitored on 19 May 1999. No further archaeological features or deposits were observed.

8 Dungar Terrace, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin