2004:1859 - CHARLESLAND, Wicklow

Excavations commenced in June 2004 on a site in Charlesland, Co. Wicklow, identified by means of aerial photography in the 1980s (CUCAP BGE 83) and presented as two adjoining crop circles. This site was confirmed to be of archaeological significance by a programme of testing and geophysics carried out in December 2001 (Excavations 2001, No. 1350, 01E1132). This excavation was carried out following a programme of monitoring and excavation on a large residential scheme within the townland between December 2002 and August 2004, during which seventeen archaeological sites dating from the Neolithic to the medieval period were excavated. The main archaeological evidence, however, points to extensive settlement in the Middle to Late Bronze Age in this area.

The excavation revealed multi-phase archaeological features ranging from a prehistoric fulacht fiadh to a medieval enclosure. The site was located on low-lying ground, south and east of a diverted streambed. The archaeological deposits along the northern and north-western perimeter of the site were truncated by a double-ditch field boundary that was identified on the first-edition (1838) OS map.

The fulacht fiadh measured c. 30m (east-west) by 20m and survived to a maximum height of c. 0.25m. Eight troughs were identified underneath the mound, including an unusual D-shaped example. No artefacts were retrieved from this part of the site during excavation, but it is likely that the fulacht fiadh is Bronze Age in date, given that pottery tentatively dated to this period was retrieved from a number of pits located to the south-east, which were likely to be associated habitation evidence. Clusters of postholes, stake-holes, pits and an unusual horseshoe-shaped feature were also identified in this area, but no discernible structure was visible.

The medieval enclosure was defined by a shallow ditch, the north-west corner of which was truncated by a field boundary. The enclosure encompassed an area c. 42m in diameter and had a south-east facing entrance, c. 4m in width. The ditch was U-shaped in profile with a flat base, had an average width of 2.15m and varied in depth between 0.34m and 0.52m. Leinster cooking ware and Dublin-type ware were retrieved from the upper deposits within this ditch. The outer ditch was later in date than the penannular inner ditch, which was V-shaped in profile and more defensive in nature. The inner ditch was 68.4m in length, averaged c. 1.8m in width and varied in depth between 1m and 1.58m. Medieval pottery, animal bone and slag were retrieved from the upper fill of this ditch. Two large structural timbers were found at the north-eastern terminus of this ditch and may be associated with the structural activity recorded to the west of this ditch. The stratigraphy of this inner ditch was quite complex, in that a number of recuts were visible along its length, indicating that it may have been in use for a long period of time.

An area of intense activity was identified in the north-west corner of the enclosure. A number of slot-trenches, pits and post-holes were concentrated in this area and, although no definite structure was identified within the enclosure, the area was likely to be associated with some form of domestic activity. It is difficult to assess if this activity is associated with the inner or outer ditch, as there is no stratigraphic link between these deposits and the ditches.

The findings from this site reflect the nature of the archaeological findings in the surrounding landscape, with archaeological evidence ranging in date from the Bronze Age to the medieval period.