County: Wicklow Site name: CHARLESLAND
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 13:7 Licence number: 04E0387
Author: SinŽad Phelan, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, 27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Site type: Fulachta fiadh, urn burial and later medieval activity
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 729198m, N 710156m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.126276, -6.069514
The archaeological sites at Charlesland, Greystones, Co. Wicklow, were identified during a phase of monitoring (No. 1857 above, 04E0153) carried out on behalf of Durkan Residential Ltd. Planning permission was sought by the client but was subsequently refused in September 2001 on several grounds, including archaeological issues. An Bord Plean‡la granted permission to develop at Charlesland Sites C and D in 2003.
The proposed development site was located at the break of an east-facing slope of a low gradual hill to the south-west of Greystones village. Four areas of archaeological significance, close to each other, were identified during topsoil-stripping. These were excavated. Beaker pottery was recovered under the burnt mound of a fulacht fiadh; this suggests an Early Bronze Age date. This will be confirmed by the pending radiocarbon dates.
Fourteen sites have so far been excavated within the Charlesland Residential Development (Excavations 2001, Nos 1350-1351, 01E1132 and 01E1133; Excavations 2002, No. 1964, 02E1804; Excavations 2003, Nos 2072-2083, 02E1804, 03E0018, 03E1821, 03E0592, 03E0146, 03E0147, 03E0196, 03E0908, 03E1028, 03E1188, 03E1550 and 03E1645), most of which can be definitely dated to the Bronze Age period. The fulachta fiadh recorded in Areas 1 and 2 (04E0387) probably date to the Early Bronze Age; pottery analysis and radiocarbon dating should confirm this.
Area 3 was medieval in date and no definite structural pattern has emerged through excavation; further examination of soil samples taken will aid with further interpretation of the site. There was no evidence for ritual activity in Area 3; it is likely that these features are the result of medieval agricultural activity.
An isolated Bronze Age urn was the only prehistoric evidence within Area 4. The stone surface with the reused millstone fragment and the local medieval wares and metal artefact retrieved from Area 4 indicates that this area was again used in the medieval period.
