County: Kildare Site name: BALLYSAXHILLS
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 99E0704
Author: Daniel Leo Swan, Arch-Tech Ltd.
Site type: Burnt spread
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 680608m, N 708446m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.120465, -6.795753
Monitoring of soil-stripping was carried out at the proposed quarry site at Ballysaxhills, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare, on 1 December 1999 on behalf of Kilsaran Concrete Ltd in order to comply with the planning permission granted by An Bord Pleanála.
The soil-stripping had been preceded by an extensive programme of geophysical testing and archaeological test-trenching, carried out on this portion of the site in 1995 by Margaret Gowen, the results of which were reported to the National Monuments and Historic Properties Service (August 1995 and 4 December 1995, Excavations 1995, 43–4, 95E0256).
The depth of soil in the area monitored varied from 0.25m on the upper portion of the site to the east, to a maximum depth of over 0.4m towards the west. The deposits consisted mainly of a light brown topsoil overlying natural gravel, with occasional pockets of boulder clay extending to a depth of over 0.45m. These deposits were consistent over the total area of soil-stripping, and, apart from the partly backfilled test-trenches from the earlier testing programme, no anomalies were noted.
A small area of burning was noted overlying the natural deposits at a point just north of the most southerly extent of the soil-stripping. In depth the burning varied from 10mm to 15mm, but no reddening of the underlying deposits was noted. The burning consisted of a spread of charcoal, with some small fragments, consistent with the clearance by burning of light vegetation.
No other features were noted, nor were any deposits or material of archaeological significance revealed.
32 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2
