County: Wexford Site name: WEXFORD: Rear of 16, 18 and 19 George's Street Upper
Sites and Monuments Record No.: RMP 37:32 Licence number: 00E0889
Author: Emer Dennehy, Eachtra Archaeological Projects
Site type: Town defences
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 704525m, N 622009m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.339715, -6.466071
An archaeological impact assessment in conjunction with testing was requested for this site before the commencement of development works. The proposed development site was located 13m to the west of the medieval town wall and tower of Wexford.
Three trenches were excavated, positioned on the footprint of the proposed foundations. Trench 1 was 8.1m long and 1m wide and varied in depth from 0.5m to 0.87m. Trench 2 was 7.9m long, 1m wide and 0.5m deep. Trench 3 was 10.3m long and 1m wide and varied in depth from 0.5m to 1.46m. The variation in the depth of both Trenches 1 and 2 is due to the natural undulation of the underlying subsoil, which resulted in a stepping of the development site. This natural stepping was levelled in post-medieval times through the introduction of garden soil. Numerous sherds of medieval Leinster ware were incorporated into the garden soil.
No artefacts or stratigraphy of an archaeological nature were identified in Trenches 1 or 2. Two drainage ditches were identified and sectioned in Trench 3; they had an average width of 0.2m and depth of 0.15m. Sherds of Leinster ware were identified in the fills of both ditches. The incorporation of medieval pottery within the fills could indicate that the drainage ditches are of medieval date. However, it is more probable that the ditches are post-medieval in nature and that the pottery is a residual inclusion incorporated into the fills during the excavation of the ditches. No additional archaeological stratigraphy was identified in Trench 3.
3 Canal Place, Tralee, Co. Kerry
