County: Kildare Site name: LADYCASTLE LOWER
Sites and Monuments Record No.: KD014-017---- Licence number: 02E1781
Author: Donal Fallon, CRDS Ltd.
Site type: Castle - motte and bailey
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 691976m, N 729192m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.305020, -6.620000
Monitoring of groundworks associated with the development of golf facilities on the south course of the K Club was carried out over a number of separate days between December 2002 and April 2003. The development is near an Anglo-Norman motte, situated on the south bank of the River Liffey. Groundworks covered an area of 26.2ha.
Prior to the monitoring phase, excavation had commenced on an area 40m south of the motte, where structural remains of medieval date had been exposed in pre-development testing by Angela Wallace (Excavations 2002, No. 950, 02E1513) and No. 943, Excavations 2003.
The groundworks were divided into five separate phases, encompassing the soil-strip for the carpark, access road, site compound, clubhouse and turf nurseries. Features of medieval date were exposed during the soil-strip for the access road and clubhouse, the latter being in close proximity to the motte.
A limekiln, apparently of medieval date, was exposed during the soil-strip for the access road. This was subsequently resolved under a separate licence (No. 944, Excavations 2003, 03E0043). In addition, a number of fragments of human skull from no particular context were recovered during machine clearance of the road. Further clearance by hand did not expose any associated features.
The soil-strip for the clubhouse identified a substantial medieval ditch (c. 5.5m wide, c. 2.2m deep and 50m long) c. 60m south-west of the motte, extending north-west/south-east across the development area. The disturbed remains of a later structure, possibly of late medieval to post-medieval date, were exposed overlying the tertiary fills of the ditch. In addition, a range of post-medieval structural debris was exposed in the vicinity. These appeared to relate to a largely demolished farm depicted on the first-edition OS maps. Deposits in this area were subsequently resolved under the existing licence (No. 943, Excavations 2003). The limekiln and medieval ditch appear to relate to settlement associated with the motte. The only significant finds recovered during the monitoring phase consisted of twelve abraded fragments of medieval pottery and eight fragments of human skull (from one adult individual).
Unit 4, Dundrum Business Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14
