County: Louth Site name: DROGHEDA: Magdalene Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 24:41 Licence number: 03E0150
Author: Melanie McQuade, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 708816m, N 775434m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.717230, -6.351377
Four test-trenches were excavated during two phases of testing carried out on this site, which covers an area of 560m2 between St Peter's Church hall and No. 33 Magdalene Street. The testing established the presence of late medieval and post-medieval foundation remains and archaeological deposits dating from the 13th-15th centuries and the post-medieval period.
In the north-west of the site, 1.4m of late medieval foundation remains (0.9m wide) were exposed. These were built on a medieval soil, from which fragments of crested roof tile and sherds of pottery, dating from the 13th to 15th centuries, were recovered. Further foundation remains were uncovered in the south-west of the site. These pre-date a standing boundary wall and may date from the late medieval period, but they do not represent a continuation of the late medieval wall foundation found in the north-west.
A charcoal-rich clay deposit (0.4m deep), which may be the result of some industrial activity, was uncovered in the south of the site. A sherd of medieval pottery was found in this deposit.
The remains of post-medieval wall foundations were uncovered in the north-west of the site. These ran east-west, and a northern return was uncovered at their western end. Deep post-medieval deposits were exposed across the site. Some of these contained medieval artefacts, suggesting that they may represent disturbed medieval ground.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
