County: Kildare Site name: BRANNOCKSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 05E1425
Author: Marianne Nolan, for Valerie J. Keeley Ltd.
Site type: Cultivation ridges
Period/Dating: Post Medieval (AD 1600-AD 1750)
ITM: E 687428m, N 708810m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.122670, -6.693787
This site was identified as a result of the monitoring (05E1103) in November 2005 as part of the archaeological requirement for Contract 2 of the Kildare water strategy. The water system between Ballymore Eustace and Old Kilcullen is being upgraded. This area encompasses parts of the east Kildare uplands and the plains of central and southern Kildare. It consists largely of agricultural lands, both pasture and tillage, in gently rolling countryside. The environment is rich in monuments from various periods, dating back as far as the Neolithic period.
Eight agricultural furrows were recorded, all of which were located in the eastern half of the site. Seven of the furrows were orientated in a north-east/south-west direction. The eighth was orientated east–west. This would appear to represent at least two phases of agricultural activity. Seven of the furrows were 2.5–3.7m long. They ranged from 0.5 to 0.9m in width and 0.1 to 0.17m in depth. The furrow cuts had sloped sides and flat bases, which would indicate that they are the result of the same methodology. One of the cuts was somewhat irregular. There was evidence for bio-turbation disturbance at this location. This was the shortest of the furrows at 1.5m long. The furrows were filled by loosely to moderately compact dark-reddish to orange/brown sandy clay with moderate inclusions of mid-sized stones, occasional to moderate charcoal flecks and occasional inclusions of pebbles. While there may have been two phases of ploughing, it is probable that these were within a short time-space of each other and so in archaeological terms can be considered to be roughly contemporary.
Seven anomalies at the western end of the site provided evidence for land clearance through the burning off of scrub growth. There were no finds in association with this part of the site. There was not sufficient charcoal for dating found in any of the scrub clearance contexts, therefore it is impossible to accurately date this activity, although it is likely to date from the same period as the agricultural activity evidenced by the furrows.
The only find recovered from this site was a sherd of post-medieval blackware, which was recovered from one of the furrow fills. Blackware had a red fabric which was sealed inside and out with a black glaze. It was used to make large pots that were common everyday cooking ware in post-medieval Irish society. As this sherd was found in the fill of a furrow, it is likely that this furrow dates to the post-medieval period. This sherd of pottery can serve to date all of the furrows.
While it is not ideal to base the date of a site on one sherd of pottery, in the absence of any other evidence the sherd of blackware suggests that all of the activity at this site dates to the post-medieval period at the earliest.
Brehon House, Kilkenny Road, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny
