County: Wexford Site name: BALLYDERMOT AND TOBERDUFF
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A003/054
Author: Liam Mckinstry, 9 Ballantyne Place, Steamboat Quay, Limerick, for Valerie J. Keeley Ltd.
Site type: Prehistoric and post-medieval
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 717705m, N 663471m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.709548, -6.258077
The excavations at Green’s berry farm, Ballydermot and Toberduff, were carried out in advance of the N11 Gorey–Arklow link road scheme. The excavation was divided into eleven sites.
Site 1 consisted of a large natural hollow or marl pit that had been backfilled in relatively recent times. The pit measured 3.5m east to west by 10.2m and had a depth of 0.3m. The cut of the pit was oval in shape and had gradually sloping sides and a concave base. The material thrown into the pit consisted of modern pottery, glass and leather work boots.
Site 2 consisted of two small burnt pits, which could not be dated.
A medium-sized, keyhole-shaped kiln was identified within Site 4. The cut of the kiln consisted of a main bowl and a flue which connected it to a subcircular hearth. The feature was orientated approximately north–south, with the main bowl being to the south. The bowl of the kiln measured 2.26m by 1.4m and was 0.32m deep. The flue was 3m in length, 0.59m wide and 0.15m deep. The hearth measured 1.8m by 0.8m and had a depth of 0.22m. The kiln contained large amounts of charcoal and stone. Much of the stone seemed to have been used for lining the kiln and in many places was still in situ.
Site 6 consisted of a curvilinear gully with associated subrectangular hearth and possible stake-holes. The gully was c. 6.74m by 0.37m and 0.2m in depth. The cut was curvilinear in plan, except at the last 1.5m of the northern part of the cut, which kinked into a straight line. The hearth measured 1.03m by 0.85m and had a depth of 0.08m. The gully may have been the remains of a structure or shelter, with the kink in the gully representing the remains of an entrance. There was also a medium-sized stone-filled pit, possibly associated with the hearth and gully. The only other features identified within the site were modern agricultural activity and field clearance.
Site 10 consisted of a large, burnt oval-shaped pit that contained moderate amounts of charcoal and stone. It measured 3m by 1.4m and had a maximum depth of 0.4m. The stone seemed to have lined the pit in some places but may have been dislodged through agricultural activity. There were also a number of post-holes and stake-holes, which seemed to have been associated with the pit.
Site 11 consisted of a medium-sized hearth feature with associated stake-holes. The hearth measured 1.15m by 1.4m and had a depth of 0.12m.
No other features were identified within the site. Only modern agricultural activity and field clearance were identified within Sites 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9.
