2004:1806 - FERNS UPPER, FERNS, Wexford

An excavation was carried out during April 2004 prior to the construction of a housing development at Ferns Upper, Ferns, Co. Wexford. The site, which covered an area of c. 13,000m2, was situated at the eastern end of the town immediately opposite Ferns Cathedral. A test excavation undertaken by Cathy Sheehan during March 2003 uncovered archaeological remains across the southern half of the site (Excavations 2003, No. 2018, 03E0254). The site was divided into five excavation areas, A-E.

Area A was at the northern end of the site and measured 45m by 34m. The remains of disused field systems and several sets of plough furrows from the 19th century were exposed during topsoil removal. Traces of limited human activity were identified along the north-eastern boundary of the site. Two small pits and a fire-spot were found in isolation. A single pit contained fragments of burnt bone.

An isolated shallow pit close to the eastern boundary of the site contained charcoal-flecked silty sands and fragments of roof slates. The broken roof slates suggested that the feature was related to the structural remains to the south-west. A second isolated pit was found close to the southern boundary of Area A. The pit was filled with charcoal-flecked silty sand mixed with several small fragments of burnt bone. The size, content and location of this pit or post-hole suggested a direct relationship with the prehistoric remains found further to the south along the eastern boundary of the site.

A dense concentration of archaeological features was exposed across Area B, which measured 26m by 17m and was located towards the centre of the site to the east of Area C. At least six cremation pits were uncovered, two of which contained fragments of crushed pottery vessels. The first of these pits was located close to the eastern boundary of the area andthe second was several metres further to the south. These two pits were similar in shape and size. Both were subrectangular and tapered inwards at one end, with almost vertical sides and a flat base. The north end of one pit was filled with dark-brown silty sand heavily mixed with charcoal fragments and several small pieces of burnt bone. The crushed pottery vessel, which surrounded the charcoal-rich contents, was undecorated and had a thick, coarse red to brown fabric. Redeposited yellow clay was used to seal in the contents of the pit. The west end of the second pit contained a similar concentration of charcoal-rich dark-brown silty sand, which contained a few small pieces of burnt bone. Two small fragments of a pottery vessel were found close to the surface of the pit and were identical to the fragments recovered from the adjacent pit.

An east-west alignment of three pits was exposed 4m further to the south. All were similar in size, rectangular in shape and had wide U-shaped profiles. The first pit had a central fill of charcoal-rich dark-brown silty sand that contained several small pieces of burnt bone. The pit was sealed with redeposited yellow clay. The second, central, pit also had a concentration of dark-brown charcoal-flecked silty sand and fragments of burnt bone and was sealed over with redeposited yellow clay. The third pit in the group had an identical central fill that was also sealed with yellow clay. It was noted during the excavation of these three pits that none contained fragments of pottery.

A sixth cremation pit was found 2.3m further to the south. This pit was also rectangular in shape, with steep sides and a fairly flat base. The pit was filled, like the others, with a central dark-brown charcoal-rich silty sand mixed with several small fragments of burnt bone and sealed over with yellow clay. No pottery was found within the pit.

Four additional pits were found close to these cremation pits. The first two contained rubble from the 18th or 19th centuries. The third was a possible post-hole and the fourth may have been a cremation pit but the feature was heavily truncated by plough furrows.

The area within and around the cremation pits contained numerous post-holes. The irregular distribution of the post-holes made interpretation difficult. No structural outline could be discerned and many were located within close proximity to the cremation pits. The majority of the post-holes were circular in shape, with diameters ranging between 0.24m and 0.4m and depths of between 0.04m and 0.29m. The post-holes were all filled with dark-brown charcoal-flecked silty sand. No artefacts or burnt bone were found in any of the post-holes.

Fragmentary remains of a post-medieval structure were exposed 6m from the eastern boundary of the site. The structure was defined by two shallow foundation trenches, 0.5m wide by 0.2m deep, on the north and south side. The width of the structure was 5.8m. Several sherds of post-medieval pottery and a single sherd of green-glazed medieval pottery were found within the fill. Almost none of the foundation stones had remained in situ. However, associated rubble was uncovered during the course of monitoring. The western side of the structure was truncated by a post-medieval drainage ditch. A possible entrance way was identified on the eastern side. Several flat and smooth flagstones were positioned in a linear arrangement and surrounded by a cobbled surface.

Area C was located towards the centre of the site and measured 22m by 14m. The remains of a possible structure were exposed between agricultural ditches in the central area of the site. A roughly semicircular arc of post-holes, filled with dark-brown charcoal-flecked silty clay, defined what remained of the structure (7.5m diameter?). The post-holes were spaced 1.8-2.2m apart and had an average diameter of 0.4m and depth of 0.25m. Traces of burnt daub were found within a shallow slot-trench between two of the post-holes. A roughly circular pit was found within the arc of post-holes. Traces of charcoal and burnt clay were noted within the fill, along with a corroded nail fragment. Another shallow pit was located to the north of the post-holes. A single sherd of medieval pottery and a piece of slag were recovered from the dark-brown charcoal-flecked silty sand. An area of in situ burning was located outside the structure to the south. A slightly charred sherd of glazed medieval pottery was found within the area of scorched clay. Unfortunately this area of the site was heavily truncated by medieval, post-medieval and modern drains/ditches and additional structural remains may have been destroyed.

Area D, east of the derelict buildings and adjacent to the Ferns-Gorey road, was used as a dump and storage area. Approximately 45% of the western half of this area had been reduced in level by 0.8m to facilitate the construction of a concrete yard built during the latter half of the 20th century. The concrete surface was removed but nothing of any archaeological significance was found. An additional 15% of this area was used as a dump. Four large pits, 3m in width, contained diesel barrels, rubble and old machine parts.

The areas of in situ burning identified during the test excavation extended across this area and were of recent origin. Large quantities of burnt debris from the late 19th and 20th centuries were found in and around the areas of in situ burning. Some of this material had been deposited in the adjacent dumps.

Area E contained nothing of any archaeological significance.

The preliminary results of the excavation suggested that the cremation pits form part of a larger flat cemetery from the Bronze Age period that occupied the high ground on the western side of a valley formed by the stream at the base. This is supported by archaeological discoveries in the adjacent field. In 1998, drainage works uncovered a number of cremation pits, several of which contained fragments of Bronze Age pottery. The combined results suggested the presence of a significant flat cemetery that extends across a considerable area.