County: Kerry Site name: ARDFERT
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E0682
Author: Niamh O’Callaghan, for Eachtra Archaeological Projects
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 478571m, N 621095m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.328024, -9.781532
Test-trenches were excavated before construction of a single dwelling in Ardfert, Co. Kerry. The licence was later extended to allow archaeological features in the line of the foundations to be excavated. The remainder of the archaeological material found was preserved in situ. The proposed development site is c. 80m south of the ecclesiastical complex of Ardfert Cathedral.
Three trenches were excavated on the footprint of the proposed foundations for the dwelling-house and detached storage shed. A mini-mechanical excavator with a flat bucket was used for the excavation and all further cleaning was carried out by hand. Archaeological deposits were recorded in Trenches 2 and 3. The layout of the trenches was altered in an attempt to determine the nature and extent of the deposits, in order to mitigate potential development impacts.
No archaeological layers or artefacts were recorded in Trench 1, which was L-shaped, 9m long, 1m wide and 0.95m deep, located on the proposed foundations of the storage shed at the rear of the site.
Trench 2, located along the rear wall of the annex of the dwelling, was 5m by 1m in extent and was later extended as archaeological features were revealed. The topsoil was dark-brown silt, 0.8m deep, and when removed revealed a charcoal-rich deposit that was clearly visible in the natural yellow subsoil. The trench was extended and the overall dimensions of the pit were 5.5m by 3.5m. The cut of the pit was U-shaped in profile with gradually sloping sides and a rounded base and was 1.3m deep. It contained one fill composed of moderately compact mid- to dark-brown silt with charcoal, animal bone (occasionally burnt) and limestones throughout. The pit was also found to have a recut on the upper part. The recut was 2m long, visible for 1m in width, and was 0.24m deep. It was saucer-shaped, the sides sloped gently and it extended under the baulk; the remainder is preserved in situ. It was filled with redeposited subsoil that acted as a lining, and loose mid- to dark-brown silt, with ash and animal bone included. The bowl of a clay pipe with the stamp ‘LIW’ was recorded from the fill and is tentatively dated to c. AD 1660–80.
Trench 3 was located on the footprint of the foundations for the main part of the house and a small arc of a pit was recorded on the western side. This feature was partially excavated to an accommodation depth of 0.3m to facilitate the maximum penetration depth of the foundation. The remainder will be preserved in situ, as it is located under the internal body of the proposed dwelling. The cut of the pit was irregular in plan and only visible for 1m in length and up to 0.5m in width. It was filled with moderately compact dark-brown silt with charcoal and ash. A small assemblage of finds was recovered; these included a small quantity of animal bone, a single metal object (possibly a sickle blade) and one sherd of typical Irish pottery from the second half of the 13th century (Clare McCutcheon, pers. comm.).
3 Canal Place, Tralee, Co. Kerry
