2004:1373 - 19-20 PARK STREET, MONAGHAN, Monaghan

Monitoring of groundworks took place on 26 October 2004 on a 13m by 11m site on the west side of Park Street, Monaghan, towards the western edge of the early 17th-century town (Mullaghmonaghan townland). Natural subsoil, a light-brown sandy clay, was exposed close to street level over most of the site. Within 4m of the street frontage, subsoil was overlain by a depth of 0.1m, or less, of brown silty clay with charcoal flecks and occasional small brick fragments. A small pit, approximately rectangular in shape, 0.62m by 0.37m and up to 0.32m deep, was revealed 2.7m from the street front and 0.44m from the wall of the adjacent building on the northern side of the site. A small stone slab, 0.2m by 0.14m by 0.08m, was set vertically against the southern edge.

An interesting group of finds was recovered from the dark-purplish-brown silt fill. Pottery finds comprised part of a mottled ware tankard, sherds from a plain white tin-glazed earthenware chamber-pot and two sherds of brown-glazed earthenware in a hard sandy fabric, possibly of local manufacture. Other finds were a glass phial, a white glass domed button with metal shank, an iron key and a small quantity of bird and mammal bone. The pottery suggests a date range of c. 1680-1750 for the feature, which is possibly the base of a cesspit truncated by later developments on the site. The only other feature noted was the stone foundation of the front wall of the late 18th/early 19th-century building that was recently demolished.