County: Waterford Site name: GRACEDIEU WEST (4–8)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E0590
Author: Ian Russell, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Structure, Field system and Pit
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 657471m, N 613959m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.274316, -7.157854
All of the sites were located adjacent to each other within an area measuring 100m by 60m. Gracedieu West 4 was located 20m north of Gracedieu West 5, 30m west of Gracedieu West 6 and 10m west of Gracedieu West 8.
At Gracedieu West 4, an area measuring 85m by 25m was cleaned. A number of post-holes, pits, stake-holes and possible pits/post-holes were exposed. They were located to the south of the site and may have formed part of a possible structure. They lay c. 6m to the south of a large, roughly oval-shaped, spread. This spread measured c. 30m in length, 16m in width and 0.12m in thickness and consisted of a black silty clay containing moderate small round and angular stones and occasional charcoal flecks. The site also contained a large number of linear field ditches dating to the post-medieval period.
At Gracedieu West 5, an area measuring 70m by 15m was cleaned. A possible pit was exposed to the east of the site. It was subrectangular in shape and measured 0.6m in length, 0.4m in width and 0.23m in depth. It had been filled with a mid-brown sandy clay containing some angular stones.
At Gracedieu West 6, an area measuring 20m by 20m was cleaned. An oval-shaped spread was exposed to the east of the site. It measured 0.7m in length, 0.35m in width and 0.15m in thickness and consisted of a dark-brown/black sandy clay containing occasional round stones. A number of possible post-holes and pits were also exposed to the west and may be associated with a number of similar features exposed nearby in Gracedieu West 8.
At Gracedieu West 7, an area measuring 10m by 10m was cleaned. A single feature was identified as being non-archaeological. No other features were exposed.
At Gracedieu West 8, an area measuring 50m by 30m was cleaned. A number of possible pits and post-holes were exposed to the south-east of the site close to Gracedieu West 6 and these are likely to be associated with the features exposed to the west of that site. Two stone axe fragments were recovered as surface finds. No further archaeological feature or deposits were exposed.
It is likely that the pits and post-holes exposed at Gracedieu West 6 and 8 are associated with each other and they may also be associated with the possible structure exposed at Gracedieu West 4, to the west. It is proposed to conduct further testing and stripping within the sites in order to determine the full extent and complexity of the exposed features.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
