2002:1915 - KERLOGUE, Wexford

Excavations were undertaken at Kerlogue Business Park, Co. Wexford, in May and June 2002 before construction. Archaeological features were identified during monitoring by Stuart Elder (No. 1914, Excavations 2002, 01E0047) in three areas across the development, within the confines of commercial Sites 2, 3 and 4/5. The sites were c. 700m from the modern coastline of south-east Wexford, at 14–15m OD.

Site 2 contained the remains of a substantial circular structure, defined by an external slot-trench and an internal ring of post-holes. The slot-trench, which measured 14.6m in diameter, was not continuous; a 4.3m-wide gap in the trench, which appeared to function as an entrance, faced east. The slot was generally U-shaped in profile, with regular, steep sides and a narrow, rounded base. Truncation of the slot had occurred in the southern half of the structure; elsewhere the slot was up to 0.45m deep.

The ring of internal post-holes was composed of seven surviving features. The regular placement of the post-holes suggests that as many as ten posts may have supported the roof of the structure. Truncation of the site by hand-dug cultivation furrows and modern construction-related machine activity may have removed the extra features. The post-holes were generally situated 1.5–2.5m inside the slot and were 0.17–0.62m wide and 0.05–0.23m in surviving depth.

A number of small linear features excavated in the vicinity of the entrance may have functioned as additional structural supports in this area and may also have served to narrow the otherwise wide entrance from 4.3m to 2m. Two small post-holes excavated immediately outside the entrance may represent an external portico arrangement.

The internal division of space may have been defined by a collection of 38 stake-holes, some of which formed an east–west line 4.5m long. Several pits were also excavated within the structure. One was filled with a charcoal-rich deposit that contained a significant quantity of burnt bone.

A number of narrow linear features, which appeared to pre-date the phase of structural activity, were identified in Site 2. The parallel arrangement of these features suggests that they may represent the early use of ards on the site.

Site 3 was c. 25m north of Site 2. During monitoring in this area a pair of parallel, post-medieval, field boundaries and a collection of possible pits were noted. Further clearance of the area revealed an additional linear feature, comprising a series of ard-marks, and clarified the nature of the possible pits. The features in the west of the site, to the south-west of the field boundaries, were pits containing a significant quantity of prehistoric pottery, and the features in the east were a mixture of post-medieval cuts and stone sockets.

The pits were of various shapes and sizes. Three contained pottery. The first of these had a single deposit of dark clayey silt containing frequent inclusions of charcoal and eleven sherds of prehistoric pottery. The second was a large, irregularly shaped feature that was filled by a series of deposits containing burnt stone, struck flint and 47 pieces of prehistoric pottery, including several rimsherds. The third pit contained six sherds of prehistoric pottery, several pieces of struck flint and a lozenge-shaped flint arrowhead.

A series of six possible ard-marks was excavated at the southern limit of Site 2. Four were oriented roughly east–west, and two north–south. The east–west features were spaced 0.8–0.9m apart and consisted of shallow, sometimes ephemeral, slots in the subsoil. The north–south features were similar and were 1.6m apart. No dating evidence was found in association with the features.

A linear gully was excavated to the north-east of the area containing the pits. The gully, which meandered gently east–west, was recorded for a length of 50m and extended beyond the limit of excavation at either end of the site. It had two sections, with a pronounced kink where they joined. The western section consisted of a shallow U-shaped cut with inwardly sloping sides and a relatively flat base. This section was c. 32m long, generally 0.5m wide and 0.2m deep. The eastern section was substantially wider and deeper. The width increased to a maximum of 0.8m and the depth to 0.5m.

Site 4/5 was 50m north of Site 3. Topsoil-stripping had uncovered the remains of a circular feature, two ditches and several pits. The excavation of the site revealed further features. In addition to the circular feature, three probable prehistoric gullies were excavated, along with four post-medieval ditches and twelve pits or post-holes.

Further cleaning of the circular feature revealed it to be a penannular ring-ditch measuring 8.5m north–south by 9m. A south-south-west-oriented gap in the slot-trench was 1.7m wide. The small ditch that defined the feature was 0.5–0.75m wide and 0.2–0.5m deep. The deepest parts of the feature were the bulbous terminals, both of which were also significantly wider than the remainder of the slot. The slot was filled with four deposits. The uppermost, a moderately compact mix of clay and gravel, contained 60 sherds of prehistoric pottery, much of which featured cord-impressed decoration. The fill of the western terminal contained six sherds of pottery, some of which were decorated, and half a chert bead. Struck flint was found throughout the fills. No features were uncovered inside the ring-ditch.

Twelve features were excavated to the north-east of the ring-ditch. The upper fill of one of these, a large subrectangular pit, contained the partially intact remains of a round-based prehistoric pot. To the west of this pit two hearths lay beside a shallow cut, the fill of which contained a substantial quantity of burnt bone. Flint blades were recovered from the fills of two other pits in this area.

Three apparently prehistoric gullies, which may be the remains of a field system, were excavated in this area. Two of the gullies were 0.7–1.15m wide and up to 0.55m deep. The deposit filling one of these gullies contained frequent inclusions of burnt stone and charcoal. The fill of the other gully contained a number of pieces of struck flint, including a large end scraper. The third gully had been significantly truncated by one of four post-medieval field boundaries investigated in this area.

The sites excavated at Kerlogue contained a diverse group of prehistoric features. The circular structure excavated at Site 2 is of probable Bronze Age date. The external slot-trench and internal ring of post-holes are typical of a number of sites excavated in recent years.

A Bronze Age date may also be suggested for the penannular ring-ditch excavated at Site 4/5. No interior features were identified in the ring-ditch. The pottery recovered from the ring-ditch, and the partially intact pot uncovered in the pit to its north-east, have been identified as belonging to the Food Vessel tradition of the Early Bronze Age, with a possible date of c. 2000–1800 BC (H. Roche, pers. comm.).

Artefactual evidence suggests that the pits excavated at Site 3 may date to the Early Neolithic. The fine dark brown/black pottery recovered from them indicates a date of c. 3800–3500 BC (H. Roche, pers. comm.). The assemblage displays undeveloped Early Neolithic characteristics and represents the remains of gently carinated, round-bottomed pots with simple out-turned rims.

The excavation of narrow linear gullies in two of the sites at Kerlogue suggests the presence of an early field system. Two of the gullies on Site 4/5 contained considerable amounts of burnt stone, similar to that found filling the slot of the circular structure on Site 2. A prehistoric date is supported by the quantity of struck flint recovered from the fills of the third gully.

The ard-marks at Sites 2 and 3 suggest some form of early agricultural practice. Although it is impossible to date these features, it is tempting to see them as remnants of Neolithic or Bronze Age farming, associated with the archaeological features uncovered in their vicinity.

Unit 4, Enniscorthy Enterprise Centre, Milehouse Road, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford