1999:360 - BISHOPSLANE (Site 4), Kildare

Between 16 and 22 February 1999 archaeological monitoring was carried out at Site 4, Bishopslane, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare. The proposed development involved the construction of a single-storey dwelling in the northern end of the site, set back roughly 18m from the road.

The proposed development lay within the zone of archaeological potential as outlined by the Urban Archaeological Survey. Archaeological monitoring of topsoil-stripping and the excavation of all foundation trenches were requested by Dúchas as a condition to any planning permission granted.

Recent archaeological fieldwork at Bishopslane, Sites 1–6, by Alan Hayden (Excavations 1997, 90, 97E0370 and 97E0425), revealed the remains of possible medieval structures in the north and south of the site, with medieval agricultural furrows occurring between them. These results would appear to indicate that this area is within the boundaries of the medieval settlement of Ballymore Eustace.

Along the northern foundation trench of the proposed development two substantial cut features, C17 and C29, were identified. Both these features cut the natural geology and were filled with redeposited natural and mixed clays containing 19th–20th-century china.

It seems probable that C17 and C29 were parts of the same feature and represented the sides of a natural hollow measuring roughly 10m east-west x 6m, which had been subsequently backfilled. This suggests that the north-east corner of the site had been levelled off within the last 100–200 years.

Based on the results of the archaeological monitoring, it can be stated there were no significant archaeological features or deposits within the land-take of the proposed development.

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