2006:AD16 - Jamestown and Tully, Leitrim

Pre-development testing, comprising the excavation of six trenches, was carried out in the vicinity of LE031–076 (enclosure) and LE031–097 (ringfort), located to the north of the village of Jamestown, Co. Leitrim, in December 2007.
Trench 1 was opened east–west along the centreline of a section of wayleave to the south of the enclosure. It was 34m long and 2.8m wide. The topsoil had an average thickness of 0.3m and generally overlay yellow/brown sandy clay subsoil with moderate inclusions of stone. The topsoil cover was just 0.1m in thickness where it directly overlay bedrock at the west end of the trench. A modern field drainage ditch, 2.4m wide and 0.8m deep, was uncovered at the east end of the trench. Trenches 2–5 ran perpendicular to the centreline trench and revealed a similar stratigraphic sequence to that recorded in Trench 1.
Trench 6 ran downslope across a narrow strip of land between the public road and the River Shannon to the south of the ringfort. The trench was oriented east–west and measured 16.5m long and 1.4m wide. The depth of topsoil cover was greatest close to the riverbank, where it was 0.55m deep. The topsoil overlay sandy clay and gravel with frequent stone inclusions. A typical assemblage of post-medieval and early modern finds (pottery, clay pipes, metal objects and brick) were recovered during testing, particularly from Trench 6. No archaeological material was uncovered.