2006:1495 - KILLEGLAND, Ashbourne, Meath

Planning permission was granted for the upgrading of Castle Street, Ashbourne, Co. Meath. As part of the development works, the street was realigned, widened and a new roundabout inserted. A test excavation was carried out by William O. Frazer in September 2005 (Excavations 2005, No. 1142, 05E0423). Full excavation commenced in January 2006.

Phase 1, prehistoric: possible fulacht fiadh
The earliest phase of human activity identified on the site was located along the banks of the Broadmeadow River, close to the southern edge of the roundabout. The test excavation had found features that were thought to have been associated with the remains of a fulacht fiadh, close to the river.

It was noted that the original course of the river had changed slightly and had originally flowed further to the north-west. As the course of the river slowly changed, layers of sand, gravel, silt and clay gradually built up along the old riverbed partially covering a deposit of heat-cracked stones. These layers were excavated to expose the full extent of the stones. Numerous twigs and small branches were partially buried within the deposits, although none showed signs of having been worked. Similarly, small quantities of animal bone were recovered and may have been associated with activities centred on the possible fulacht fiadh site. The main deposit of heat-cracked stones lay directly over the sand and gravel and covered an area of 2.55m east–west by 5.1m with a depth of 0.05–0.42m. The conclusion was that the material had been dumped into the river and settled along the riverbed and against the bank. Two well-compacted layers of mottled clayey silt gradually accumulated over the heat-cracked stones and preserved the deposit. Although the total area associated with the earliest phase of activity on the site was quite small (6.5m north–south by 6m), it probably represents only a small portion of a larger site that originally extended outside the limits of the excavation to the east and west.

Phase 2, medieval: field systems
The remains uncovered from the medieval period consisted primarily of disused field boundaries, gullies and drains along the northern edge of the site. The principal feature was a linear ditch and gully aligned east–west. The western end of the ditch was truncated by a modern drainage channel and became increasingly shallow and imperceptible to the east. The cut had a total length of 31m, a maximum width of 1.5m and a depth of 0.65m. The base of the cut was filled with clayey sand and small stones over which were three layers of mottled reddish-brown silty clays. Small quantities of animal bone, shell fragments, corroded iron objects and several sherds of medieval pottery were recovered from the fills. A preliminary analysis of the pottery suggested a 13th–14th-century date.

The adjacent gully was roughly parallel to the main feature, with a total length of 19.62m, a maximum width of 1m and a depth of 0.3m. The feature terminated 20m from the western limit of the site and gradually became shallower to the east. A few fragments of animal bone and a couple of medieval pottery sherds, identical to those found earlier, were recovered.

A small portion of a second linear ditch aligned north–south truncated the northern edge of the previously described east–west-aligned ditch. The remainder of this feature extended outside the limit of the excavation to the north and only a 3.5m-long section was excavated. The bowl-shaped profile had a maximum width of 3.5m and a depth of 1m and was filled with grey/brown waterlogged marly clay along the base overlaid by several layers of sandy silts. Several small fragments of animal bone and a few sherds of medieval pottery were recovered.

Phase 3, post-medieval: field systems and structural remains
Several disused field boundaries, gullies and numerous plough furrows were identified extending across the southern and western parts of the area. To the east the field had been subject to high levels of disturbance due to various road and drainage improvements carried out over the years along the western side of the existing road. The mature trees and hedgerows along this side of the site had also contributed to the disturbance.

Two shallow linear features aligned north–south were exposed close to the area of prehistoric activity along the southern edge of the site. Both features truncated the southern edge of a later east–west-aligned post-medieval drainage gully. The two shallow features had an average width of 1.5m and depth of 0.22m and were both filled with an orange to grey sandy silt.

Two drainage gullies extended east–west across the southern end of the site. The first and more southerly had a V-shaped profile that splayed outwards at the top. The length was 11m with a maximum width of 2.85m and depth of 0.56m. The second drainage gully, 3m further to the north, had a U-shaped profile 0.8m wide and 0.45m deep. The sandy silt fill contained numerous post-medieval finds such as pottery, pipe stems and corroded iron objects dated to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Two distinct sets of plough furrows aligned north-west/south-east extended across the western half of the site truncating medieval and post-medieval features. The first set was shallow, narrow, 0.48m-wide, 0.08m deep and generally evenly spaced apart. The second were larger, deeper furrows, 0.75m wide, 0.15m deep. It was clear from the stratigraphic sequence that the ploughing had occurred quite late, perhaps during the 19th century. Faint traces of a third set of furrows aligned east–west was also discernible.

The remains of a post-medieval structure were uncovered to the east of the site. The remains consisted mostly of collapsed rubble from the corner of a structure. Once the rubble was removed, the poor state of preservation became clear. Less than a single course of both the east–west and north–south walls had survived in situ. Both walls were constructed using roughly hewn limestone bonded with a lime mortar and laid down directly over the hard natural yellow clay. The slightly better preserved east–west section had a length of 3.1m and a width of 0.8m. It was not possible to estimate the length of the north–south section, but the linear spread of rubble extended for 9m. No internal features survived, but the occasional red brick found in the rubble may have been used as a floor. A small section of a stone-lined drain extended out from the base of the north–south wall, 3.5m from the southern end. A large quantity of post-medieval objects was recovered from within the rubble and surrounding area.

A metalled surface and several linear features were uncovered at the extreme south end of the access road. The area of archaeological activity measured 10m north–south by 15m; a modern laneway to the north truncated several of the features uncovered. The surface of small stones laid down directly over the natural yellow clay measured c. 9m by 3m and was truncated by a later linear feature to the west and a shallow gully. A short 3m-long section of a shallow linear feature, 1.95m wide, 0.38m deep and aligned north–south, was in the south-west corner of the site and the remainder extended outside the limits of the excavation to the south. Numerous sherds of cooking ware from the late 12th to mid-14th centuries were recovered from the fill.

The final area excavated was located to the east of the Broadmeadow River between the existing Castle Street and Killegland Castle and measured 55m east–west by 5–11m. The area had a significant slope down from the highest point at the eastern end of the site to the lowest point at the western end, close to the Broadmeadow River. The natural clay surface was extremely stony with several shattered limestone outcrops.

A semicircular-shaped pit with a U-shaped profile, 2.5m in diameter and 1.1m deep, half of which extended outside the area of excavation to the north, was found 32m from the eastern end of the site. It was filled with a large quantity of limestone concentrated along the base of the feature. Small quantities of animal bone and several fragments of glass were recovered from the fill, which indicated a post-medieval date.

A second circular pit was located 1.2m further to the south, partially obscured by redeposited yellow clay. The pit, 3.4m in diameter and 0.36m deep, had a shallow bowl-shaped profile and was cut into the natural stony clay, which was scorched orange/red by intense heat. Small fragments of burnt wood and charcoal were found along the base of the pit. The main fill of burnt and partially burnt limestone mixed with clay and ash suggested that the pit was used for the production of lime, although on a limited scale. The abundance of accessible limestone to the east presumably influenced the choice of location. The adjacent pit to the north was used to store the collected limestone until needed.

As the gradient of the site became steeper towards the western end of the site close to the river, a significant amount of archaeological activity was encountered. The earliest feature identified was a linear ditch aligned north–south and extending outside the limits of the excavation. The ditch, which had a bowl-shaped profile, was 5.5m long, 1.4m wide and 0.58m deep. It was filled at the base with yellow/grey clayey silt, with a layer of grey/yellow silty clay over this. Several iron and animal bone fragments and sherds of medieval pottery were found within the lower and central fills.

A second linear feature aligned east–west truncated the earlier north–south-aligned ditch and terminated close to the natural escarpment. The ditch, which was 9m long, 2m wide and 0.52m deep, had a U-shaped profile and was very waterlogged and filled with layers of silts and clays, some fragments of animal bone and several sherds of medieval pottery.

A large circular pit, 4.2m in diameter and 1.12m deep, truncated the eastern end of the earlier linear feature. It had tapered sides and a flat base and was filled with two waterlogged layers of yellow/brown clayey silt mixed with small stones. This pit was later truncated by a linear gully/ditch aligned north–south, which extended outside the limits of the excavation. A single sherd of medieval pottery was recovered.

A metalled surface was laid down directly over the upper fills of two linear features and covered an area 8m east–west by 3–4m. The poor drainage and high water table appear to have been a constant problem along the western end of the site close to the river. The numerous drainage channels and the stone surface represented various attempts at improving the area adjacent to the site of Killegland Castle.

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