County: Offaly Site name: SCURRAGH, BIRR
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E0992
Author: Emer Dennehy, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, 27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Site type: Workhouse fever graveyard
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 606642m, N 704600m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.091954, -7.900832
Testing took place in the environs of Parsonstown Workhouse in Birr, Co. Offaly, to investigate the nature of a small rectangular plot of land locally believed to be the remains of a famine graveyard. The site is adjacent to the east wall of the workhouse and defined in the north and east by the townland boundary. It is first illustrated on the second-edition OS maps of 1886. The perceived use of this plot of land as a famine burial ground was questionable, given that the workhouse had a defined graveyard clearly illustrated on the OS maps. It appeared more probable, given the location of the site on a townland boundary, that it represented a burial ground for those who had died an unnatural death or who were unbaptised. Analysis of the literary sources available identified that there had been a fever outbreak in the workhouse commencing on 5 May 1849. A total of 59 'paupers' died during this outbreak, of which 48 were children.
The records of this fever epidemic indicate the likelihood that the possible graveyard to the east of the workhouse was probably used for these fever victims rather than famine victims. Victims of disease were often buried separately to the 'normal' dead in order to avoid the re-emergence of the disease when new graves were being excavated, and to highlight that they had died an unnatural death. In addition, such graves would also have been doused with lime to contain the disease.
Six trenches were excavated, three within the 'famine graveyard' and three external to it and the workhouse graveyard. The latter three trenches were excavated to determine if any graves extended outside the perceived boundaries of these burial grounds.
Trench 1 was excavated parallel to and at distance of 1.1m from the workhouse boundary. It measured 33.3m north-south by 1.9m by 0.3m in depth. No archaeological stratigraphy was identified. Trench 2 was excavated parallel to and at a distance of 2.3m from the boundary of the 'famine graveyard'. It measured 22.6m east-west by 1.9m, with a maximum depth of 0.85m, which derives from the redeposition of subsoil over the field from the neighbouring development. No archaeological stratigraphy was identified.
Trench 3 was L-shaped in plan and located within the area of the perceived 'famine graveyard'. It measured 15.8m east-west by 6.8m with an average width of 1.9m and maximum depth of 0.55.
Archaeological stratigraphy was encountered in the northern section of the trench and excavation ceased at a depth of 0.25m. The southern end of the trench was heavily disturbed and excavation was abandoned at a depth of 0.55m. The remains of four graves were identified in the south end of the trench; they measured 2.3m east-west by 1m and were covered with lime and large stones.
Trench 4 was excavated in the western end of the 'famine graveyard' and measured 6m east-west by 1.9m. It was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.7m, the initial 0.5m of which comprised quantities of rubbish from the reuse of the workhouse as a shoe factory. The original ground surface was encountered at a depth of 0.55m and subsoil at a depth of 0.7m. No archaeological stratigraphy was identified.
Trench 5 was excavated against the internal southern wall of the 'famine graveyard'. It measured 4.5m north-south by 2m by 1.09m in depth. Upon removal of 0.99m of rubbish, the original ground surface was revealed. Removal of this sod exposed the remains of a red-brick wall, associated foundation and gravel path. A structure was illustrated in this area of the famine burial ground on the third-edition OS map and this was accessed from the workhouse via a gravel path. It is the remains of this structure that were identified in this trench.
Trench 6 was excavated perpendicular to and at a distance of 1.8m from the southern boundary of the 'famine graveyard'. It measured 5.7 north-south by 1.9m by 0.5m in depth. No archaeological stratigraphy was identified.
The excavation identified that the area of land perceived by locals to be a 'famine graveyard' was indeed used as a burial ground. However, historical research combined with the use of lime to seal the graves would indicate that the site was more probably used as a burial ground for the fever victims of 1849 rather than for victims of famine. It is plausible, given the nature of the workhouse, that all famine victims were interred in the official workhouse graveyard.
