County: Louth Site name: PHILLIPSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 99E0280
Author: Rosanne Meenan
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 701906m, N 785685m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.810701, -6.452656
There is a record of a holy well in the townland of Phillipstown (Mosstown parish), Dunleer, Co. Louth, with the tradition that it was 'by the roadside to N. of R.C. church' (notes from SMR files for SMR 17:64), but its precise location was not noted.
The development in question comprises a dwelling-house with associated services. The house is one of a set of three that are to be placed along the side of the road here. This is the westernmost of the three sites, and the developer was requested by Dúchas to carry out a site assessment.
The site is on the top of a ridge that slopes down to the north and to the west. There is marshy ground outside the site, to its north.
In December 1998 the site of the first house (easternmost of the three) to be built here was tested (Excavations 1998, 152, 98E0584). Nothing of archaeological significance was exposed.
Two trenches tested the areas of the back and front of the house. A third trench tested the location of the septic tank, and a series of small pits tested the percolation area.
The same stratigraphy was exposed in all of the test-trenches and test-pits. It comprised grey topsoil 0.3–0.4m deep underlying the sod. This came down onto very sticky boulder clay, mottled grey and light brown and containing many stones. The trenches were dug to a depth of 0.8–1m, and the stratigraphy did not change through depth.
Archaeological material was not observed in any of the trenches.
Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath
