County: Roscommon Site name: CLOONOWN, Oldtown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 55:3 Licence number: 00E0780
Author: Richard Crumlish, Archaeological Services Unit Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 603575m, N 735705m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.371527, -7.946277
This work, carried out on 26 October 2000, involved the test excavation of a site in advance of its development at Cloonown townland, Athlone, Co. Roscommon. The site is located within the constraint of a recorded monument (SMR 55:3), ecclesiastical remains. The development was located to the north-east of the monument and consisted of the construction of a dwelling-house with associated septic tank and percolation area. The site lay in grassland immediately east of a modern church in Oldtown village.
Three trial-trenches were excavated by machine during the testing. Trench A measured 25m x 0.95–1.1m and 0.45–0.6m in depth. Trench B exited the south-east end of Trench A and measured 25m x 0.9–1.1m and 0.4–1m in depth. Trench C measured 20m x 0.95–1.5m and 0.8–1.2m in depth. The stratigraphy in all trenches consisted of topsoil, 0.15–0.3m in thickness, below which was a light brown subsoil, 0.1–0.5m in thickness. Below the subsoil was grey boulder clay. In Trenches B and C was a rubble fill, 0.15–0.55m in thickness, below the topsoil and within the subsoil.
A number of redbrick fragments were found in the subsoil, while a small number of animal bone fragments and redbrick fragments were recovered from the rubble fill. The testing revealed natural undisturbed stratigraphy in Trench A and evidence of recent backfill in Trenches B and C, i.e. nothing of archaeological significance.
Purcell House, Oranmore, Co. Galway
