County: Limerick Site name: ABBEYFARM, Kilmallock
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 47:22 Licence number: 99E0215
Author: John O’Connor
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 560705m, N 628222m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.404116, -8.577471
From May 1999 to February 2000 a new network of storm and water pipes was laid in the town of Kilmallock as part of an urban renewal scheme. In addition to this work, portions of the foul sewer network were replaced and all ESB and Telecom wires in the town were placed underground. A new carpark was also built in a greenfield site within the town walls. A licence was held to monitor all ground disturbance associated with this scheme. The scheme provided an ideal opportunity to look at the subsurface archaeological remains within and just outside the medieval town.
The first phase of the works involved the laying of pipes from the river to the carpark site north-west of John’s Castle and the construction of the carpark itself. This trench was c. 1m wide and crossed the known location of Friar’s Gate, a postern gate leading to the Dominican priory on the opposite side of the river. A number of medieval pits and a post-medieval drain were uncovered in this trench, but there was no evidence of the gate.
During the ground reduction of the carpark a number of pits of indeterminable date were uncovered. The field was criss-crossed by a network of field drains, and many ploughmarks were evident. The largest feature unearthed was a ditch, which extended roughly south-west/north-east, on a line roughly perpendicular to the main street. The ditch ran from the south-western boundary of the site to the north-east boundary, where it presumably continued under the gardens at the back of the row of houses on Sheares Street, a distance of more than 40m. The line of the ditch was perpendicular to the extant stretch of wall visible in the field, and if the full extent of the ditch had been uncovered it would possibly have emerged on the north-western, i.e. the external, side of John’s Castle. The ditch was U-shaped in section and was c. 1m deep and 6.1m wide. Given its position, size and orientation, the ditch would appear to be a defensive feature pre-dating the enclosure of the enlarged town by a stone wall.
Work carried out on Sarsfield Street revealed a well (c. 1m wide, c. 7m deep) and a cobbled surface, which survived intermittently from the junction of Orr Street and Sarsfield Street to the crossroads in the town centre. This surface was sealed by a thick, black, organic deposit, which preserved many leather off-cuts and a number of leather shoe fragments. The cobbled surface reappeared on Lord Edward Street. At the site of Ivy Gate, fragments of the medieval town wall were discovered. A length of wall running perpendicular to the town wall was also found. It was approximately 10m long, lay outside the town wall and may represent the basal course of the gatehouse. The cobbled surface abutted these walls and extended beyond the town wall, where it gradually petered out. A ditch was also found external to the town wall under the cobbles. This may be a defensive feature pre-dating the town wall, similar to the ditch found in the carpark.
On Wolfe Tone Street a cobbled surface was once more uncovered along most of the length of the street. The basal course of a small rectangular feature was also uncovered near the location of the Water Gate (the eastern town gate). It was of similar dimensions to the existing footing of Blossom Gate, but not enough evidence was discovered to establish for certain that this feature was medieval.
The works carried out on Orr Street revealed nothing of archaeological significance other than some patches of cobbling similar to those found elsewhere in the town.
Surface-stripping for a new road connecting Wolfe Tone Street and a Mid-Western Health Board centre to the west of the town wall was also monitored. This road traversed a section of the town wall discovered during test excavations carried out by Edmond O’Donovan (Excavations 1997, 116, 97E0366). Nothing of archaeological significance was found in this area.
Work continued in Kilmallock until June 2000. A different licence-holder carried out the monitoring work after February 2000 under a separate licence.
30 Parnell Street, Dublin 1
