County: Wicklow Site name: CHARLESLAND (Site G)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WI013-080---- Licence number: 03E0196
Author: Bernice Molloy, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd,
Site type: Habitation site
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 729198m, N 709860m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.123614, -6.069633
This site was exposed during monitoring of topsoil-stripping prior to the construction of a dual carriageway between the R671 and Greystones. The road is part of a larger residential and industrial development planned for the area. Monitoring commenced in December 2002. To date, fourteen sites have been excavated. Excavation of Site G took place on 3–18 February 2003. The overall area of excavation measured 20m by 20m.
Site G produced evidence for a possible enclosure in the form of an unroofed structure. A curving circular single line of post-holes enclosed an area measuring 8m (north-south) by 7.4m. The post-hole spacing varied between 1.5 and 0.6m apart. The post-holes varied in size between 0.4 and 0.15m. There was no evidence for a central supporting post-hole. Given this fact, combined with the spacing and size of the post-holes, it is unlikely that this structure was roofed.
A sunken hearth and a series of intercutting pits were located directly to the south of the possible structure, in which a large quantity of charred cereal grains was found. A quern stone was found on the surface c. 4m from the western edge of the structure.
