County: Dublin Site name: BALROTHERY: St Peter's Church
Sites and Monuments Record No.: DU005-057003 and DU005-057005 Licence number: 04E0671
Author: Paul Stevens, c/o Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Field boundary
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 719835m, N 761153m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.586537, -6.190041
Monitoring of a proposed extension to the graveyard and associated access road at St Peter's Church, Balrothery, Co. Dublin, was undertaken in July 2004. The proposed graveyard extension is immediately outside the boundary wall of the churchyard and measured 10m2, with an adjacent pathway measuring 35m in length parallel to the boundary wall. The site is within the zone of archaeological potential for Balrothery.
Monitoring consisted of resolution of the total ground area to be disturbed, which will be undertaken in a piecemeal fashion as individual plots are dug as required. Therefore two areas measuring 9.75m2 and 35m in length, 3m in width, were mechanically excavated to the depth of subsoil, between 0.1m and 1m below ground level.
Natural subsoil sloped steeply away from the existing churchyard and a substantial quantity of early modern fill was brought to level the now green lawn area following levelling of sheds on the site.
Excavation revealed the presence of a curvilinear field ditch with stone along one edge, two modern linear pipe trenches and two previous test-trenches opened by Donald Murphy (Excavations 2002, No. 472, 02E1316), as well as a modern dog burial. The topsoil contained a number of finds of post-medieval and modern date but also produced a bullaun stone, recovered from topsoil close to the eastern terminus of the access pathway.
21 Boyne Business Park, Drogheda, Co. Louth
