County: Wicklow Site name: Ballinaclough
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A022–077, E3263
Author: Ellen O’Carroll, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 8 Dungar Terrace, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 727914m, N 692006m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.963554, -6.095900
This excavation was undertaken on behalf of Wicklow County Council and the National Roads Authority in advance of the construction of the N11 Rathnew to Arklow road improvement motorway scheme.
Excavations uncovered a subrectangular pit (1.1m by 0.45m by 0.1m) with three discernible fills. There were no finds associated with this pit, therefore its date and function are unknown. The pit contained a substantial amount of charcoal, which may represent the remains of an oak plank that lay across the pit to facilitate activities that took place at the site. Alternatively, the pit could be associated with charcoal-burning activities and may be an isolated charcoal-burning pit. Burning did take place in situ as the natural clay was fire-reddened.
It is hoped that post-excavation analysis and 14C dating will determine the function and date of this isolated pit.
