County: Fermanagh Site name: NEWTOWNBUTLER: Main Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/04/149
Author: Jonathan Dempsey, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 641692m, N 826156m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.182666, -7.361292
Test-trenching took place in advance of a proposed residential development to the rear of Main Street, Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh. The proposed development is located close to the historic core of the town (SMR 261:50). Four trenches (1, 2, 3 and 5) were excavated by mechanical excavator, located to investigate the foundation footprint of the proposed development. It had originally been planned to excavate seven trenches. Due to the constraints of existing buildings and services, however, it was not possible to excavate Trenches 4 and 6, which should have been located at the southern end of the proposed building. Trench 7 had been proposed to investigate the location of a new trench for services. However, as existing services will be used and no ground reduction will take place in this area, the excavation of Trench 7 was deemed unnecessary.
One feature, a partially stone-lined drain of relatively modern date, was uncovered in Trench 3. No other features were present.
The results of the evaluation confirmed that the north of the site had been levelled through the removal of topsoil and the dumping of c. 0.3–0.5m of building rubble on the natural subsoil. Under the concrete yard to the south, a thin layer of hardcore had been laid on top of the natural subsoil and beneath the concrete slab.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
