County: Louth Site name: BEGRATH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E1121
Author: Finola O’Carroll, Cultural Resource Development Services Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 702520m, N 778794m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.748685, -6.445625
Monitoring of groundworks prior to the development of a single private dwelling was undertaken on 27–30 November 2001. The site lies in the townland of Begrath adjacent to the townland boundary between Begrath and Coolfore. A Penal church (SMR 21:39) lies to the north of this boundary. A stone-walled building depicted on the first edition OS is still extant in the north-east corner of the site. This will not be affected by the development.
Groundworks consisted of the removal of an old hedgerow to create a driveway and the stripping of the area covering the footprint of the house.
A shallow ditch ran along one side of the hedgerow, and the bank itself incorporated a large amount of stone. Topsoil consisted of a brown friable sandy clay loam, and the subsoil was a pale yellow clay mixed with a large amount of stone.
Further stripping on the site of the house showed topsoil to a depth of 0.15–0.3m over an interface of grey silty clay, which gave way to the underlying boulder clay. A number of bands of grey silty clay, c. 0.25m wide, ran through the surface of the subsoil, representing plough disturbance. A small amount of modern pottery was found. Nothing of archaeological interest was exposed.
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