2004:1825 - THE VILLAGE INN, 5-6 JOSEPH STREET, TAGHMON, Wexford

Monitoring was carried out from the 30 April to 3 May 2004 at The Village Inn, Taghmon, Co. Wexford. This work preceded the construction phase of a single-storey extension to the rear of the existing premises. The area to be monitored measured c. 14m north-south by 12.5m and was roughly rectangular in shape. It was bordered on its western side by a field in pasture and is backed onto by a series of garden plots on its northern and eastern sides. It consisted of a grass-covered area that sloped downwards to the south-east. This development involved topsoil-stripping and the stripping of foundation trenches for the extension.

Topsoil-stripping was undertaken jointly by a mini-digger with a 4ft flat bucket and a JCB with a 5ft flat bucket. The proposed area of development was covered in topsoil c. 0.1m deep. Modern fragments of glass, plastic and rubbish were identified within this layer. Directly below the topsoil was a yellow/white compact clay with many small greenish stones. This covered the entire site and may possibly represent the upper levels of the natural subsoil of the area. It had a maximum depth of 0.9-1m (C2). Within this layer were four or five modern rubbish pits, 0.4-0.5m in diameter, with broken glass from pub bottles. Directly below C2, close to the centre of the site, was a modern irregular area of burning with glass, wood and plastics. It was c. 3m in diameter and 0.05m deep (C3).

Situated below C1 and C3 and cut into C2 was a linear ditch. It was orientated east-west and continued beyond the limit of excavation on both sides. It was c. 12.5m in length and varied in width from 1.9m to 2.55m with an average width of 2m. It was c. 0.1m below the surface, with a total depth of c. 1.35m. It had steep sides and was broadly U-shaped. It did not appear to truncate any additional features. The linear feature contained four fills, all of which were sterile and appear to be the result of natural silting. The natural subsoil was directly beneath C2 and consisted of a mottled red/brown loose clayey silt with frequent decayed stone, the majority consisting of shale. This ditch feature appears directly below the topsoil and may represent a medieval field ditch; however, it may also represent a defensive ditch. Early Anglo-Norman defensive structures would have been associated with ditches. Several large ditch features dating to the medieval period were identified by Clare Mullins during work at the Castle Court development at the southern end of the village adjacent to the tower-house (Excavations 1998, No. 677; Excavations 1999, No. 888; Excavations 2000, No. 1068, 98E0483). A pre-Anglo-Norman origin for this feature is also possible, considering the monastic origin for the village of Taghmon.