2002:1419 - ATHBOY: Townparks, Meath

Excavation was carried out at the site of a commercial/residential development in Townparks, Athboy, Co. Meath, in February and March 2002. Three cuttings were opened. Area A was in the south-west of the development and measured 18m by 6m. Area B measured 25m by 30m. Area C was a long, narrow foundation cut for the proposed boundary wall on the southern side of the site. It was 1.2m wide and 0.7m deep and extended for the length of the development on the south-eastern side.

The excavation had a number of important results: most importantly, it established the south-western return of the medieval town wall, which is c. 26m long. No trace of a fosse surviving in association with the section of wall was found in this development. If the existing ditch is part of the original town defences, it was not part of the defences on the western side of the town.

Area A
This area contained two lengths of post-medieval wall foundations, both rubble-core constructions but differing significantly in size. Topsoil and post-medieval garden soils covered both structures. Neither structure had a foundation cut. The later one measured 6m north-west/south-east. It was a mortared wall foundation with only two courses surviving, parallel to the Kildalkey Road boundary wall. The wall was faced on both sides with a rubble core. It had an average width of 0.6m and an average height of 0.2–0.48m. The second wall was possibly earlier and of different construction. It was bonded with clay and had extant dimensions of 1.9m north-west/south-east by 1.25m. There appeared to have been a return toward the north-east, but any trace of the return in the neighbouring property sections was concealed or disturbed by tree roots along the boundary line. Most of the wall must have been denuded in the post-medieval/modern era. There was a rough facing on both sides. Only one course of stone remained, to a height of 0.13–0.2m.

Area B
This area contained a number of medieval and post-medieval deposits, including a robber trench following the line of the 15th-century town wall, large medieval pits, smaller post-medieval and modern rubbish pits, an 18th-/19th-century property boundary wall and a 19th-century drain.

The cut for the medieval wall foundation was uncovered for 20m, aligned roughly west-north-west/east-south-east. It curved slightly, crossed the south-western side of Area B and extended beyond the northern and southern limits of excavation. From the results of previous assessments, this feature was known to be present over the width of the site, a distance of 50m. The sides of the cut were very irregular, and it was obvious that a significant amount of damage had occurred in the post-medieval period. The dimensions of the cut were erratic as a result. The width of the cut at the top was 1.4–2.5m, and it was 0.9–1.5m deep. The base was generally flat (c. 64.88m OD) and was 0.85–1.1m deep. It contained a number of fills, which changed frequently and had no obvious in situ stratification. The numerous fills suggested sporadic episodes of backfilling, probably to extract the remnants of wall or wall foundation. Traces of lime mortar were recovered from these deposits during the assessment phase, but neither masonry nor mortar remains were recovered during excavation.

Six medieval pits, of varying degrees of preservation and all containing material from the 13th–15th century, were excavated in Area B. Where truncation by later features had occurred, it was generally by other medieval features. The largest pit was a roughly circular cut with steeply sloping sides and a generally flat base. Its diameter was 4m at the top and 1.2m at the base. It had a maximum depth of 1.3m (64.035m OD) and contained four fills, the lowest of which was waterlogged and contained organic material. It was a firm to spongy, dark brown/black, silty clay, with moderate amounts of animal bone (<20%) and frequent medium to large, poorly sorted, angular/subangular stones toward the base. It was 0.5m thick. There were occasional fragments of 14th-/15th-century, local, glazed ware and occasional pieces of organic material containing reed/vegetation matting. This deposit also contained a carved wooden bucket and fragments of possible handles. The secondary deposit was a moderately compact, dark brown, silty clay, with some orange mottling throughout. It contained moderate amounts of animal bone (<15%) and moderate to frequent, poorly sorted, subangular pebbles (40–50%). Some sherds of late medieval, local, glazed ware were recovered from this deposit, which was 0.4m thick. The final deposit was a loose to moderately compact, mid-grey/brown, clayey silt. It contained frequent fragments of animal bone and sherds of 14th-/15th-century, local, glazed ware, as well as sherds of possible North Leinster cooking ware. A damaged bone pin, a possible chape/blade tip and an iron reaping hook were also recovered. The pit was cut into natural subsoil and truncated earlier medieval pits. The five remaining medieval pits were significantly smaller but produced a range of artefacts, including sherds of late medieval, glazed/unglazed, local ware (both wheel thrown and handmade), items of copper alloy, including a possible needle-holder, and more iron objects, such as nails and two further possible chapes.

An 18th-/19th-century uncoursed rubble wall aligned roughly north-west/south-east extended for a distance of 12m, although its foundation cut was evident for another 14m. The wall was parallel to other property boundaries in the area and is probably based on original medieval property divisions. It extended beyond the northern and southern limits of excavation. No trace of this feature was found in Area C. There were also a number of small post-medieval/modern pits scattered across the area. These pits were all shallow, usually containing some animal bone and mixed ceramics.

Area C
This area contained mortar-bonded masonry visible in its north-west-facing section and a spread of rubble with possible facing along its south-western side.

C85 was a spread of rubble immediately south-west of C86/C88. It measured 3m by 1.4m but extended beyond the northern and southern limits of excavation. It was 0.2–0.35m deep (65.107m OD), but its exact depth was not ascertained. It consisted of medium to large pebbles, varying in shape from rounded to angular. There were a number of mortar-bonded limestone blocks along the north-eastern edge of the spread. These blocks were of similar size and material to C86. Unfortunately this area had been disturbed in antiquity, a number of the blocks had been removed, and the relationship between the two features was obscured. No foundation cut for this feature was evident. Because of the limited area of the cutting, the exact nature of this deposit is unclear. It may be collapse from the core of the medieval wall.

C86 was masonry immediately north-east of C85 that became apparent only after the collapse of the north-west-facing section of Area C owing to prolonged heavy rain and snow. The structure was traceable just beneath the topsoil, running east–west, on the exact alignment of the extant medieval town wall to the east of the site. It was also on the projected line of C53, the linear feature that traverses the site and is the probable robbed-out foundation trench of the medieval town wall. However, no medieval masonry was recovered from the feature. Built of cut-limestone blocks with gritty lime-mortar bonding, the structure was 0.8m high in section and a minimum of 1m wide. The blocks were uncoursed and ranged in size from 0.2m by 0.4 to 0.6m by 0.4m. The area had been disturbed in antiquity, and a number of the blocks at this point had been removed. The wall was not present in the opposite section face. Instead, there were traces of rubble and mortar, C88, indicating that the wall had probably been robbed out completely within the boundaries of the site. Exact dating of the structure was not possible, and no foundation cut was evident. Given its alignment, location and composition, it seems that the structure is the best possible evidence of the late medieval town wall. C88 was a deposit of rubble and lime mortar mixed with topsoil deposits visible in the south-east-facing section of Area C. The deposit was 1.1m thick and 1m high. It was obviously disturbed material from C86. However, no masonry blocks were evident in the section. This was also on the projected line of C53 and highlights the extent to which the wall was robbed out within the boundaries of the site. All of the above remains from Area C were preserved in situ.

Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth