2003:1857 - ADAMSTOWN AND BALLYDUFF EAST, Waterford

As part of advance works for the N25 Waterford Bypass, monitoring of topsoil-stripping in advance of the diversion of the Ballyveelish-Waterford Gas Pipeline was carried out in the townlands of Ballyduff East and Adamstown, Co. Waterford, from 22 to 29 July 2003.

Three features of archaeological significance were identified in Ballyduff East, Field A1. These consisted of a pit, a small spread of burning and an agricultural furrow. The pit was sub-oval in shape and measured 0.48m east-west by 0.32m by 0.19m deep. The fill consisted of a soft, dark-brown silty clay with lenses of heavy oxidisation, occasional subangular stones up to 60mm in length and occasional charcoal fragments up to 40mm in length. This pit was partially truncated on the north-east by a furrow orientated north-south. The furrow measured 0.6m wide by 0.11m deep and had a shallow U-shaped profile. It was filled by a soft, dark-brown silty clay with occasional sub-rounded to subangular stones up to 0.15m in length. A subrectangular spread of oxidised orangey-red silty clay with occasional flecks of charcoal and sub-rounded to subangular stones up to 20mm in length was identified 10m to the north-east of the pit. It was orientated north-west/south-east and measured 0.4m north-south by 0.3m by 50mm thick.

Eight features of significance were identified in Adamstown townland, Fields B2 and B4. In Field B2, they consisted of one pit, two possible pits, five possible stake-holes, an area of charcoal and oxidised clay and three ditches. The pit was oval in shape and measured 1.06m by 0.9m and was filled with a dark-brown loam containing moderate amounts of heat-shattered stone and charcoal. Five possible stake-holes were exposed a short distance to the west of the possible pits. They were clustered together within a small area and were oval to circular in shape. The largest measured 0.13m in diameter and the smallest 0.07m. The ditches were orientated north-south across the pipeline and were filled with a dark-brown sandy clay containing many round and angular stones. The largest measured 2.1m in width and the smallest 0.8m. It is probable that they were field boundaries and drainage ditches.

In Field B4, four pits, a kiln, two furrows and one ditch were exposed. The pits were sub-oval in shape and measured, on average, 1.5m by 1.36m by 0.19m deep. The kiln was sub-oval in shape and measured 2.1m by 1.8m and 0.65m deep. The base consisted of a layer of fire-reddened compact oxidised clay with charcoal. This was overlain by a slippage layer of light-brown silty clay with occasional angular pebbles. This in turn lay below a layer of orange/brown clay with occasional small stones and charcoal flecks 0.3m thick. This was overlain by a dark-brown loam containing moderate amounts of charcoal and subangular stones. Two furrows and a field boundary of post-medieval date were also exposed in this area. These features were orientated from north to south. The furrows were 0.16m in width and the field boundary was 2.3m wide. The features identified in Fields B2 and B4 were resolved by Ian Russell (Nos 1853, 03E1216 and 1856, 03E1325, Excavations 2003).

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