County: Kildare Site name: NAAS: Church Lane/Corban's Lane/Main Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: KD019-030 Licence number: 03E0440
Author: Deborah Sutton, Sheila Lane & Associates
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 689505m, N 719938m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.222299, -6.659666
Testing, comprising seven trenches, was carried out at various locations within the zone of archaeological potential for Naas town in response to a planning application to build a shopping centre. Three trenches were excavated along the south-eastern boundary of the public carpark with Corban's Lane in order to determine the location of a town wall or ditch and any associated gates or towers. In Trench 1 roughly stratified layers of mixed rubble overlay the natural grey/brown boulder clay at 1.57m. In Trenches 2 and 3, to the west, the mixed rubble overlay a brown topsoil layer exposed at 1.13m and 1.8m respectively. The topsoil overlay the natural grey/brown sandy boulder clays at 2.26m and 2.8m respectively. A natural slope down to the south was noted in all three trenches, and in Trenches 2 and 3 the natural ground levels rose slightly at the southern end of the trenches. Nothing of an archaeological nature was noted in these trenches.
Trenches 4 and 5 were excavated to the rear of the Bank of Ireland premises, which fronts onto Main Street. Extant buildings prevented excavation close to the street front. Modern hardcore overlay a brown soil layer up to 0.85m thick at 0.18m below the ground surface in Trench 4. A small quantity of animal bone recovered from this soil suggests that it was dumped domestic waste, but it was not possible to determine the date of this material. Natural boulder clays in Trenches 4 and 5 were at c. 1.35m. Trench 7 was excavated to the rear of Sarah Flood's public house on a natural rise and exposed only natural gravels. Trench 8 was excavated to the rear of Material World and the Forge public house, both street-front properties on Main Street. Mixed rubble to 0.85m overlay a band of brown/black soil to 1.25m. This may be an original topsoil layer or a band of dumped domestic waste. Nothing was noted to suggest a medieval origin for this material.
It has been recommended that further archaeological testing should take place close to the Main Street street front when extant buildings are demolished.
AE House, Monahan Road, Cork
