County: Sligo Site name: Kilglass
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SL016–059 Licence number: 06E0235
Author: Richard Crumlish, 4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 531192m, N 833019m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.241406, -9.055610
Pre-development testing was carried out on 27 and 28 March 2006 at a site at Kilglass townland, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo. The proposed development was located within the archaeological constraint for a castle which, although included on the RMP for Co. Sligo, has never been located. The proposed development consisted of the renovation of Kilglass House, an 18th-century two-storey dwelling with associated outbuildings, walled garden/orchard and landscaped grounds, construction of an extension to the rear of the house, demolition of a shed adjoining the rear of the house, conversion and extension of a self-contained single-storey unit, conversion of a barn to living accommodation, conversion of the outhouses and construction of an extension to same, construction of a car parking area in the courtyard complete with access road and installation of septic tank with commercial treatment plant and percolation area.
The testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of eight trenches, which measured 6.1m, 15.6m, 19.9m, 20m, 20.7m, 24.8m, 19.8m and 48.3m long respectively, 1.5–1.8m wide and 0.2–0.9m deep.
Below the topsoil was fill (found in one trench to the rear of Kilglass House), grey/orange/brown plastic clay and grey loose sand and gravel. Below the clay was bedrock. Land drains were visible in two trenches within the walled garden/orchard and in a trench next to Kilglass House. The topsoil and clay produced modern pottery sherds, red/yellow brick fragments, slate fragments, stone flags, occasional animal-bone fragments and oyster-shell fragments. The skeleton of an animal, probably a dog, was uncovered at 0.5–0.6m below the surface of another of the trenches within the walled garden/orchard. A large sherd of modern pottery was found with the skeleton.
The stone flags found within the topsoil probably once covered the entire courtyard to the rear of the house. The land drains uncovered were contemporary with the house and orchard and were probably necessary due to the underlying plastic clay, which meant this land was poorly drained. The skeleton uncovered was probably the remains of a family pet, buried in the orchard/walled garden. Only modern finds were uncovered during the testing, contemporary with the use of Kilglass House. Nothing of archaeological significance was revealed.
