County: Dublin Site name: RICHARDSTOWN (Site 15)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0128
Author: Kieran Campbell, for Valerie J. Keeley Ltd.
Site type: Kiln
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 718785m, N 753662m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.519491, -6.208730
The site was found by Patricia Lynch during monitoring of topsoil-stripping for the Northern Motorway (Lissenhall to Balbriggan Bypass) (see No. 450, Excavations 2002) and was excavated between 4 and 22 February 2002. The site measured 28.5m east–west by 28m and was initially identified as a possible enclosure, being in a similar topographical location to Site 8, an enclosure excavated by John Channing in Newtowncorduff townland, 200m to the north (Excavations 2001, No. 457, 01E1124).
Two features of possible archaeological interest were present on the site, 21m apart, both defined by oxidised soil and dark, apparently charcoal-flecked deposits filling cuts in the subsoil. One cut, with an irregular hourglass plan, was 4.52m long and up to 1.8m wide, constricted to 0.7m wide approximately midway along its length. The second cut was L-shaped, 3.76m long and 1.5m wide. The two features contained similar fills in the same stratigraphical sequence. Darkened soil, possibly due to heat, was present in both, although charcoal appeared to be entirely absent from one of the features and no charred grain was noted. Reddened soil overlay the dark deposits and may represent a collapsed superstructure. No evidence was recovered to assist in dating the features, and it is possible that they are of no great antiquity.
Other potential archaeological features were found on investigation to be modern land drains or simply variations in the natural subsoil.
6 St Ultan’s, Laytown, Drogheda, Co. Louth
