County: Waterford Site name: ADAMSTOWN 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E1215
Author: Ian Russell, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd, Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth.
Site type: Bronze Age structures
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 653324m, N 609446m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.234172, -7.219328
Three areas of archaeology were exposed at Adamstown 1 (Excavations 2003, No. 1852), but, following further testing within the site, where more isolated features were exposed, further topsoil-stripping was carried out to expose all of the features identified.
The remains of a circular house measuring c. 7m in diameter were exposed to the south of the site. It was constructed from thirteen post-holes with a large number of internal stake-holes defining internal divisions and was entered from the south-east. The interior also contained an oval-shaped kiln, measuring 0.62m in length by 0.4m, and a large piece of slag together with many smaller fragments. Three body sherds of coarse pottery were recovered from some of the pits/post-holes within the house, which may date to the Bronze Age. A floor surface was identified, consisting of a compact red clay, both within the house and extending outside it to the north-east and west. This floor measured c. 0.4m in thickness and lay above three additional pits. Additional post-holes and pits were excavated to the south, but they did not appear to be part of any associated structure.
A second possible structure/animal pen was also exposed and excavated c. 50m to the west of this house. It was oval in shape and measured c. 3m in diameter and was constructed from a large number of oval-shaped stake-holes. Some of these stake-holes were also located within the house or pen structure and may have acted as roof supports.
A number of stone-lined post-holes and stake-holes were also exposed to the north of the kiln and structure, together with a number of pits and a single hearth, and these possibly represent the remains of a third structure within the site.
In addition to the three possible structures at Adamstown 1, additional isolated pits and post-holes were exposed throughout the site, which suggest that further structures would have originally been present within the site. Consequently it is likely that the site represents a small domestic settlement with associated industrial activity. This industrial activity also extended to the west, as further industrial features were exposed nearby at Adamstown 2 and 2 ext. (Excavations 2003, No. 1853, and No. 1655 below, 03E1216). Four structures were also exposed further to the west on the crest of a hill at Adamstown 3 (Excavations 2003, No. 1854, 03E1217, and No. 1656 below), which may also be associated with the site at Adamstown 1.
Monitoring by Jonathan Dempsey of the realigned Bord G‡is pipeline to the south of the site did not reveal the presence of any archaeological features (Excavations 2003, No. 1857, 03E1064).
