County: Waterford Site name: ADAMSTOWN (3)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WA017-123001–3 Licence number: 03E1217
Author: Ian Russell, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Hut site
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 652861m, N 609503m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.234725, -7.226108
A total of four houses were exposed here. The first house was oval or circular in shape and was constructed from a large number of oval-shaped posts and post-holes. A porched entrance was identified to the south or south-east of the house. A number of hearths were exposed within the house and a large fragment of a saddle quern was recovered from one of the post-holes at the entrance. The second house was also oval or circular in shape and was located c. 4m to the north-east of House 1. An oval-shaped slot-trench was exposed, which had been filled with a black-coloured clay and charcoal. Internally the roof was supported by four post-holes. The third house pre-dated House 1. It was also oval or circular in shape and consisted of faint traces of a slot-trench. It was located to the north-west of House 1 and had been partially cut by it. The fourth house was located c. 3m to the north-west and consisted of a large number of post-holes and hearths.
Four linear features, pre-dating the houses, have also been exposed. They are roughly parallel to each other, north-west/south-east in orientation, and are c. 4.5m apart. It is possible that they may represent prehistoric field systems or traces of agricultural activity.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
