2002:0877 - BOYCETOWN (Site 12), Kildare

An excavation was carried out before the proposed M4 Kinnegad–Enfield–Kilcock road development at Site 12, Boycetown, Co. Kildare. Linear testing by Dermot Nelis (No. 908, Excavations 2002, 02E0141) uncovered the site on 4 March 2002; it was revealed as a large stone spread in the east–west linear trench, extending for c. 7m north-east/south-west by 1.5m. To the west of this feature a number of cuts were recorded, forming a series of linear features and a small, rounded pit.

Provisional interpretation was that this site was the remains of a souterrain. A geophysical survey was undertaken in this area on 25 and 26 April. Provisional results did not confirm the presence of a souterrain in this area. They did, however, indicate the presence of subsoil features that were interpreted as relating to, but probably additional to, the features previously detected at Site 12.

The excavation took place from 2 to 9 September. An area of 20m by 20m was stripped of topsoil by a mechanical digger fitted with a toothless bucket.

The possible souterrain consisted of an area of subsoil that was naturally stony/rocky, and there was nothing of archaeological significance associated with the area. In the area to the west of the possible souterrain there were a number features of archaeological interest, small pits showing evidence of burning, with charcoal content in their fills.

A probable hearth was identified that consisted of a spread of red/brown sandy soil with patches of charcoal. This covered an area of 0.75m north–south by 0.55m. It had a maximum depth of 1m in the centre of the deposit. The deposit had the appearance of being in a shallow hollow, although it is possible that it represented natural subsoil that had been scorched rather than material that was deposited.

A few metres to the north-east was a small pit, the fill of which contained a high proportion of charcoal. The pit was roughly circular, 0.45m in diameter and 0.09m deep. It was filled with a black/brown sandy soil with a high concentration of charcoal. Immediately to the west was a slightly smaller pit that was also roughly circular, 0.35m in diameter and a maximum of 0.22m deep. It too was filled with a deposit of black/brown, sandy/silty soil with a large amount of charcoal staining. To the east of the pits was a roughly lozenge-shaped shallow pit oriented north–south. It was 2.1m long and a maximum of 0.94m wide at the northern end.

A cluster of six small stake-holes was identified in the south-west corner of the excavated area. They were 2–3m to the south of the areas of burning discussed above. These formed a roughly semicircular arc. It is possible that the stake-holes represent evidence of a windbreak fence sheltering the burning to the north, although the degree of burning appears too small to have warranted a windbreak and the windbreak seems too far away to have functioned efficiently.

The close proximity of these features and their evidence of burning clearly imply that they were associated with each other. It is not clear what the nature of this association is or what the purpose of the burning was. It is possible that the pits represent two small post-holes, but they may also be shallow pits into which material from the burning at the probable hearth was dumped.

No datable material or artefacts were found on the site, and the archaeology can only be identified as small-scale localised activity, as there was nothing to suggest that the deposits extended beyond the stripped area.

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