County: Wicklow Site name: GSAR SITES 5/5A-C, PRIESTSNEWTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E0402
Author: Ken Wiggins, Judith Carroll & Co. Ltd, 13 Anglesea Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.
Site type: Prehistoric pits and stake-holes
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 728017m, N 709000m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.116180, -6.087622
Site 5 was located in Field 11 of the GSAR on the south-facing slope of a gentle rise, Chainage 1030-1120, adjacent to the southern fence line. The site measured c. 12m north-south by 35m. Three deposits, seven stake-holes, two cultivation furrows and one area of oxidised clay were revealed on the site.
The site was identified during monitoring when several stake-holes, deposits and an area of baked clay were discerned. The area of baked clay, C12, was loose mid-orangey-brown silty sand. It contained moderate amounts of tiny pebbles and frequent amounts of poorly sorted fine silty sand and measured 1.4m (north-south) by 0.7m by 0.06m deep. The C12 baked clay was roughly keyhole-shaped in plan and had four stake-holes adjacent to it: two to the north, one to the west and one to the east. From the plan of the oxidised earth and the proximity of the stake-holes around C12, it is possible that these features collectively represent the remains of a corn-drying kiln. The remaining three stake-holes, located 10.5m west of C12, showed slight curvilinear orientation in a north-west/south-east direction, over a distance of 4.3m.
Site 5a comprised a single pit, located c. 10m north-west of Site 5. The pit measured 1.02m (northwest/south-east) by 0.74m by up to 0.5m deep. The fill consisted of a lower deposit of loose brown sand containing some smooth pebbles, flecks of charcoal and burnt bone. The upper fill was grey/brown sandy clay containing flecks of charcoal and some heat-shattered sandstone fragments.
Site 5b, a limited area of potential adjacent to Site 5a, was found on investigation not to be of archaeological significance. Site 5c was located c. 60m north-east of Site 5 and comprised single pit. The pit was a circular, bowl-shaped feature, measuring 0.86m (north-south) by 0.83m by up to 0.23m deep. The fill consisted of crumbly grey/greybrown silty clay with flecks of charcoal and traces of burnt bone.
