2003:2155 - SANTRY: Schoolhouse Lane, Swords Road, Dublin

On 21–24 March 2003 testing was carried out on a proposed residential development site behind and to the west of Nos 1–6 School House Lane, Swords Road, Santry, Dublin 9. The development (c. 2242m2) lies within the south-western corner of a 6th-century ecclesiastical site, within which five individual sites are listed (SMR 14:57(01–05)). Testing established that the holy well (14:57(04)), which had become overgrown, lies c. 4m to the north of the development area. Three linear cuts and two other potential archaeological features were uncovered in the north of the site and post-medieval deposits were uncovered throughout.

Monitoring and subsequent excavation was undertaken from 23 May to 6 June 2003. In the north of the site a series of medieval drainage channels, post-medieval cultivation furrows and a possible field boundary were exposed. These were uncovered at formation level of the proposed building and the features located on the foundation lines were excavated. In the south of the site the foundations of a post-medieval dwelling, modern drains and two undated field drains were uncovered.

There were three linear drains in the north of the site. The earliest of these was a north-east/southwest drain (0.6m wide). It had a U-shaped profile and was filled with greyish-brown sandy clay with charcoal (0.25m deep). To the south-east of this was a drain running north-west/south-east. It was 1.4m wide and three distinct fills were identified within it. The lowest fill was dark-grey silty clay with razor shells. This fill was confined to the northern edge of the trench and was 0.1m deep. The middle fill was greyish-brown clay (0.4m deep). The upper fill was brown clay with occasional animal bones (0.2m deep). To the south of this was another northwest/ south-east linear drain (1m wide). This was filled with compact grey clay with some animal bone and shell (cockle and mussel) (0.3m deep). The dates of these features have been determined from finds of Leinster cooking ware and locally produced pottery, which date from the late 12th–mid-14th and late 13th–mid-14th centuries respectively. The medieval features excavated extend outside the current area of investigation and probably form part of a larger system of field drains and boundaries associated with the land, which at that time was owned by St Mary’s Abbey. Given the limited area of excavation on this site, it was not possible to determine any pattern of field systems here. However, the features may be compared to similar cultivation gullies and field boundaries which have been excavated on other medieval sites, such as Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath, by Linzi Simpson (Excavations 1995, No. 230, 94E0178) and Nangor, Co. Dublin, by Ian Doyle (Excavations 2000, No. 226, 00E0754).

A 17th- and 18th-century presence on the north of the site is evident from pottery found in a furrow and in the garden soil.

In the south of the site, two field drains and three red-brick drains were uncovered and the foundation remains of a structure were partially exposed. The field drains were 0.7m wide and the east–west drain joined the north–south drain, suggesting that they may be contemporary. Both drains were filled with greyish clay containing land molluscs (0.38m deep). No finds were identified in their fills and consequently the date of these features has not been determined. To the south of these drains, three red-brick drains and a structure (3.6m wide internally) were partially exposed. The walls of this structure (0.5m wide) were constructed of limestone slabs, but only 2.5m of its length were uncovered. A section of a stone and mortar wall, 1.25m by 1m and 0.4m high, was uncovered to the west of these foundations. This wall had been truncated to facilitate the construction of an ESB substation. A sherd of slipware pottery from beneath the wall suggests that it was constructed in the 18th or 19th century. The remains to its east are probably part of a rear annex to one of the row of houses shown fronting onto School House Lane in the mid-19th-century OS map.

2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin