County: Carlow Site name: JOHNSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E002577
Author: Linda Hegarty, Headland Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: Road - hollow-way
Period/Dating: Post Medieval (AD 1600-AD 1750)
ITM: E 677743m, N 676818m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.836700, -6.846135
The site was excavated as part of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford scheme: Kilcullen to Powerstown. It was situated in the vicinity of a zone of archaeological potential identified as a castle site (CW007–029(01)). A graveyard and bullaun stone (CW007–017(01, 02)) were identified two fields south-west and Ardnehue church site (CW008–001) was situated directly east. The site incorporated a field boundary running north-west/south-east and containing a disused hollow way flanked by two parallel running ditches. The field boundary extended for 208m, with an 80m stretch of it within the road corridor. In the first-edition OS map a trackway is shown extending the full length of the present field boundary. Situated 267m south-west of the southern end of the field boundary are the remains of Johnstown House, with an adjunct disused graveyard, and situated 160m north-west of the northern end of the field boundary is Ardnehue Cottage.
Testing carried out on this site by Caitriona Gleeson under Ministerial Direction A021/019 in 2005 identified a roadway or trackway with a possible medieval date situated within the boundary of two fields (Excavations 2005, No. 99).
Full resolution was conducted on this site between 12 and 14 February 2006. This revealed a hollow way flanked by two parallel ditches.
Excavation demonstrated that the hollow way was 2.6m wide and 1.2m deep, with no evidence for a surface. The eastern flanking ditch was 4m wide and 0.8m deep and the western flanking ditch was 2.8m wide and 0.8m deep. The hollow way and associated ditches are possibly the remains of an avenue that linked Johnstown House to Ardnehue Cottage. It may also possibly be associated with the church site and graveyard.
It is not clear if the ditches are contemporary with the hollow way or are later additions related to its incorporation as a field boundary.
Unit 1, IDA Industrial Estate, Wallingstown, Little Island, Co. Cork
