County: Limerick Site name: Gardenhill
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: A026/167, E2320
Author: Aidan Harte, Aegis Archaeology Ltd, 32 Nicholas Street, King’s Island, Limerick.
Site type: Cremation and pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 567174m, N 661378m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.702540, -8.485688
The remains of a possible cremation pit were identified as part of test-trenching the proposed N7 route in early 2006. The cremation was centrally placed in the open trench but proved to be the most westerly of features uncovered. The cremated bone was recovered from the top of this feature, but during excavation of the deposit no more burnt bone was recovered. Several more fills were identified in association with the cremation and these were contained within two shallow pit cuts.
To the east of the cremation there were three pits, one of which was substantial. This was an oval pit, 1.8m north–south and 0.52m deep, which contained a single brown fill. Five smaller pits were investigated to the south-east but all were found to have been stone sockets. More complex stratigraphy was encountered at the north-east of the trench. A stone-lintelled pit and four possible post-holes were spread sparsely across this area. Two pits at the extreme north-east were found to be contemporary with one another, but no clear function could be deciphered from their fills. A series of linear features formed parallel and perpendicular drainage channels containing homogeneous brown silt fills. Finds from this area include a pottery handle, a metal knife handle, a stamped clay pipe and thin green glass, all indicating quite a late date. The drains are set close to each other (3–5m apart) and may relate to drainage in the vicinity of peat cutting.
All contexts were sampled and post-excavation analysis is ongoing.
