2001:320 - SKETRICK CASTLE, Down

A small-scale research excavation was carried out between 23 April and 8 June 2001 as part of a programme of conservation, consolidation and restoration of the remains of this late medieval tower-house in State Care. The tower-house is situated on the west shore of Sketrick Island and is reached by a modern causeway. Eight trenches were opened up: Trs 1, 2, 5 and 6 within the south chamber, Trs 3 and 4 along the exterior of the east wall and Tr. 7 along the exterior of the west wall to expose the building’s foundations and establish the original ground level. Tr. 8 was confined to the roof of the north chamber.

South chamber
During conservation work in the 1950s the entire area in and around the castle had been covered in a layer of quarry dust to provide a level surface. Removal of this layer revealed a destruction layer sealing a series of late surfaces. The earliest floor level was a patchy surface of closely packed, fist-sized stones laid directly onto the natural subsoil, a light brown, friable gravel, and extended from the east castle wall to north and west. In the northern portion of the chamber all evidence of the early surface had been completely obliterated by the digging of a large pit, 1.2m deep, which extended almost the whole way across the chamber east–west and was 2.1m wide north–south. The basal layers of this pit were waterlogged and parts of a possible wooden vessel were recovered. It did, however, facilitate the exposure and recording of the west castle wall. The fragmentary remains of an early floor level comprised of a layer of stones set into red clay were found in the south-west of the south chamber. A later dividing wall, running for 2m east–west, abutted on the west castle wall.

Middle chamber
The destruction layer that had been found across the whole site was removed and the trench excavated to subsoil. Archaeological remains consisted of two possible early floor levels, confined to the area around the doorway to the north chamber, and a later pit cut into subsoil against the east castle wall. A gap in the wall between the middle and south chambers, interpreted as a destroyed doorway, was examined; the wall was found to continue without break below the modern surface and there was no evidence of a doorway.

Exterior of east castle wall
Removal of the layer of quarry dust revealed two layers of late cobbling. The foundation courses of the east castle wall were also exposed to a depth of 1.4m and found to be made up of large mortar-bonded, undressed stones set into a foundation trench. The wall had been built against the east edge of the foundation trench, which had been cut through several layers of water-laid natural gravels. The enclosing ‘bawn’ wall was found to be a later addition abutting on the castle wall.

West wall
This small trench was excavated along the exterior of the west castle wall down to subsoil, a depth of 0.4m. Within the subsoil were several large stones, but earlier conservation work has removed any evidence for early ground surfaces.

North chamber roof
As part of the conservation work in the 1950s a layer of hard core had been used to fill the space between the roof of the north chamber and the scarcement of the first floor. As this infill was to be removed and the roof sealed, it was decided to excavate the roof and record the exposed masonry. Nothing of archaeological significance, however, was recovered.

Finds
Most of the artefacts were structural, i.e. bricks and roof slates, with only eighteen medieval and 37 post-medieval potsherds. A large quantity of butchered bone, some pieces very small, was recovered. A few very badly corroded pieces of iron (mostly nails), some residual flints and several stone artefacts were also recovered.

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