County: Down Site name: NEWRY: Fullerton Road
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/03/138
Author: David Sneddon, GUARD
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 709397m, N 827166m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.181770, -6.324049
Monitoring of the removal of a topsoil store on a development site beside Fullerton Road, Newry, uncovered the remains of numerous negative archaeological features.
The site consisted of three linear ditch features, small spreads of charcoal-rich deposits and numerous stake-holes in various states of preservation. These deposits were encountered between areas of high bedrock outcrops. The ditches ran between and from the bedrock outcrops in an east-north-east direction and were 1–1.8m wide. Only one linear ditch was totally revealed within the trench and measured 6.2m in length. All three ditches varied in section but they were all c. 0.2–0.3m deep. A total of 28 stake-holes and four possible post-holes were uncovered, many containing charcoal-rich fills and occasional small sherds of coarse pottery. Their layout may hint at them forming some structural pattern. Two shallow pits and three spreads of charcoal and burnt bone were also uncovered. Eight sherds of undecorated low-fired earthenware pottery and eight flint flakes were recovered from the site.
Further post-excavation analysis will help clarify the nature and date(s) of the site.
Department of Archaeology, Gregory Building, Lilybank Gardens, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ
