County: Waterford Site name: CROBALLY LOWER, Tramore
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 00E0903
Author: John Tierney, Eachtra Archaeological Projects
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 659037m, N 602854m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.174347, -7.136853
Monitoring of groundworks associated with a large housing development took place. The development is located on a natural height to the north-east of the seaside resort town of Tramore, on the east side of the main route to Waterford City, and is surrounded on three sides by marshy ground that falls away from the site. The marshy ground gives way to a tidal inlet to the north.
Several struck flints were recovered from the ploughsoil during monitoring, the only diagnostic piece being a Neolithic hollow scraper. Further investigation revealed three pits, two with evidence of in situ burning.
Pit 1 was a sub-oval feature with concave sides and a double concave base, with a narrow ridge between. It measured 2.62m x 1.7m x 0.56m and was filled with a dark greyish-brown, silty clay containing large stones and moderate fine charcoal. A basal layer comprised very dark greyish-brown, silty clay, containing occasional stones and frequent charcoal flecking.
Pit 2 was an irregularly shaped feature with concave sides and a concave base. It was filled with a dark greyish-brown, silty clay, containing some medium-sized pebbles and occasional large stones, with a basal layer of very dark greyish-brown/black, silty clay, containing abundant fine charcoal flecking, giving a black appearance to the deposit.
Pit 3 was a subcircular pit measuring 0.51m x 0.47m by 0.11m with concave sides and concave base. It was filled with a dark yellowish-brown, friable, sandy clay containing frequent pebbles, occasional stones and fine charcoal flecking.
During the post-excavation phase two hypotheses of interpretation were developed. The first hypothesis is that the presence of burnt organic material in the fills of Pit 1, coupled with the depth differences in the double bottom of the cut, may suggest that the feature was some form of drying kiln. The difference in depth would have a natural flue effect, warming the grain in the higher area of the feature. The large stones in the fill may have formed a stone surround to the kiln. This interpretation may also be applied to Pit 2, although it is shallower and less convincing.
The second hypothesis is that the features may be refuse pits, filled with debris from some unknown settlement. The features are not identifiable with any distinct field monument in the immediate locality.
Ballytrisnane, Old Parish, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford
