1999:543 - ARDEE: O'Carroll Street/Black Ridge/Old Chapel Lane, Louth

A pre-development assessment was undertaken before a planning submission at a 6-acre green-field site bounded by O'Carroll Street/Black Ridge and Old Chapel Lane, Ardee, Co. Louth, on 12 November 1999. The proposed development site is at the north-east corner of the town, within the area of archaeological potential as outlined in the Urban Archaeological Survey of Ardee. The site lies directly along the supposed line of the medieval town wall and is adjacent to the site of Cappocks Gate at its south-east corner.

Topographically, the field is split-level, higher on the western side than the east, and this is most apparent across the centre of the proposed development site, where a subtle bank and ditch feature crosses the field south-east to north-west, representing a former land division. Excavation of five test-trenches was undertaken with the aid of a tracked mechanical excavator with a 2m-wide ditching bucket.

Trench 1 was positioned north-west/south-east along the western side of the proposed development site and measured 134m by 2.2m. A simple stratigraphic profile was revealed comprising dark brown topsoil on average 0.3m deep, overlying a dark brown clay/loam between 0.1m and 0.2m deep, in turn overlying a mottled, orange/brown, stony clay subsoil. A number of west-east-aligned field drains were revealed, cut into clay subsoil, and a naturally formed area of very stony subsoil comprising numerous boulders was found between 50m and 70m from the south end of the trench. The latter feature corresponds with a noticeable natural rise in the field surface in this area. No features, deposits or soils of archaeological potential were revealed. A number of brownware sherds were recovered from the deposits over the clay subsoil.

Trench 2 was positioned north-west/south-east along the south-eastern corner of the proposed development site and measured 66m by 2.2m. Dark brown topsoil, on average 0.3m deep, overlay dark brown clay loam between 0.1m and 0.2m deep, which lay in turn over mottled, orange/brown, stony clay subsoil. A number of features of archaeological potential were revealed towards the southern end of the trench, cut into clay subsoil.

F1 comprised a rectangular pit, 9m by 65m, 8m from the south end of the trench. The feature was cut directly into the clay subsoil and was filled with a homogeneous, dark brown loam with no obvious inclusions of archaeological significance. The eastern edge of a second cut feature, F2, with similar fill to that in F1, was revealed extending into and beyond the western edge of the trench.

F3 consists of a west-east linear spread of dark brown loam between 8m and 9.9m from the southern end of the trench. This deposit contains fragments of animal bone and sherds of post-medieval or early modern pottery. The deposit, up to 0.2m deep, lies 0.5m below existing ground level and at its northern end overlies a limestone wall foundation, F4, consisting of an interrupted setting of flat limestone slabs and stones. F4 extends 1.44m into the trench from the western section, and, although it apparently ends at this point, a stone in the eastern section at a depth of 0.55m suggests that the feature may continue east. The wall foundation was found to be only one stone deep and would appear to be no more than 0.3m in surviving depth. The southern edge of F3 is characterised by F5, a linear spread of fine mortar 0.65m wide, extending through the trench. This deposit is up to 0.2m deep and runs parallel to the remains of the limestone wall 1.1m to the north.

Remains of a possible stone-filled field drain, F6, were found 1.5m north of and parallel to F3, consisting of a narrow, linear setting of water-worn stones.

At a location between 46m and 50m from the southern end of the trench lies F6, a roughly east-west linear deposit of dark brown soil with numerous stones. This represents the remains of a former field boundary extending west.

Finds from this trench were largely derived from F3 and comprised a small quantity of butchered animal bone and several sherds of post-medieval or early modern character.

Trench 3 was positioned approximately south-west/north-east along the south-east edge of the proposed development site, measuring 88m by 2.2m. Dark brown topsoil, on average 0.3m deep, overlay dark brown clay loam between 0.2m and 0.3m deep. Mottled, orange/brown, stony clay subsoil lay below this level (0.6–0.7m+). The remains of a former, north-south-aligned field boundary were revealed c. 50m from the eastern end of the trench, coinciding with a marked linear surface feature defining a split level between the higher, western and lower, eastern sides of the field. The surface expression of this feature was a subtle, south-east/north-west-running bank, comprising two parallel ridges with the intervening area sunken and with a shallow ditch to the east. The subsurface remains, F7, consisted of a deposit of very stony subsoil, 5m wide, composed of numerous boulders and stones. A shallow ditch up to 4m wide lay immediately east of this feature. No features, deposits or soils of archaeological potential were revealed.

Trench 4 was orientated approximately south-west/north-east and measured 100m by 2.2m. Dark brown topsoil, on average 0.35m deep, overlay dark brown clay loam up to 0.55m deep. Grey, gravelly clay subsoil lay below this level east and west of the former land division (0.9–1.1m+), interrupted on the west by an outcrop of light orange/brown, sandy loam, 5m wide and 4m from the former field division. Remains of this former north-south field boundary (see Trench 3 above) lay c. 52m from the eastern end of the trench and also coincided with the linear surface feature mentioned above. The subsurface remains, F8, consisted of a deposit of very stony subsoil 5m wide comprising numerous boulders the same as F7. A shallow ditch up to 4m wide lay immediately east of this feature. No features, deposits or soils of archaeological potential were revealed.

Trench 5 was positioned south-west/north-east along the northern edge of the proposed development, roughly parallel to the line of O'Carroll Street/Black Ridge. The trench measured 50m by 2.2m. Dark brown topsoil on average 0.4m deep overlay a dark brown clay loam 0.1m deep. Mottled, grey/brown, stony clay subsoil lay below this level (0.5m+). No features, deposits or soils of archaeological potential were revealed.

Several features of archaeological potential were revealed towards the southern end of Trench 2 including an apparent wall foundation (F4). Although the material overlying this feature (F3) appears to be post-17th-century in date, the proximity of features F1 to F5 to the site of Cappocks Gate suggests that they may be related. The width of F4 alone would not be consistent with that of a medieval fortification wall or a gatehouse; however, it may represent an ancillary building of contemporary date, with the deposition of post-medieval material possibly representing the period of its demolition.

The most obvious topographic expression on the field surface is the line of a former field boundary in Trenches 3 and 4, through F8 and F9. The eastern margin of the site is characterised by a linear strip of land on average 8m wide, which lies immediately beyond the area of proposed development, extending from O'Carroll Street/Black Ridge to a series of gardens at the south-east corner of the site. The margin has been reduced in level, and much waste and domestic debris has accumulated along its length. Although it appears to have been set aside for horticultural purposes, its width and linear appearance suggest that it may represent an older landscape feature, possibly a trace line of the former town wall or a feature parallel to it.

The assessment results recommended further archaeological investigation in the south-east area of the site, before groundworks, as a condition of full planning permission.

15 Trinity Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth