2007:543 - Saggart, Dublin

A number of potential archaeological features were identified during a programme of monitoring carried out in advance of a housing development at Saggart Lodge, Saggart, Co. Dublin. The work was carried out in January 2007. The site is located within the zone of archaeological potential that defines Saggart settlement and is within the curtilage of Saggart Lodge, a protected structure. During the first phase of construction an area to the south of the current development was excavated (Excavations 2006, No. 695). Phased land division from the 13th century on was identified, represented by a series of linear ditches.
The nature of the activity identified in the first phase of development continued in the current development. Boundary ditches, linear features, pits, spreads, a metalled surface and fragments of dry stonemasonry walls were identified occupying an area measuring 60m north–south by 55m.
The majority of the features identified on the site were ditches. In total, ten ditches were excavated. A pattern of small strip fields bounded by two large ditches was quite clear from the plan of the site. The two large ditches ran parallel to each other at a distance of only 3.6m across the length of the site. Five ditches ran perpendicular to them at varying intervals, from 7m to 14m. It is likely that these strips of land are the remains of burgage plots that once surrounded the village of Saggart.
Once the ditches had been backfilled or silted up, a second phase of activity was identified. Three fragments of drystone wall located close to a metalled surface were identified in the centre of the site on the surface of a large medieval boundary ditch. The walls consisted of a single course of large stones with small stone infill, representing the remains of a structure. The metalled surface may represent a yard associated with the structure. A coin dating from the reign of Charles II, 1657–1674, and an iron blade or knife were recovered from the metalled surface. The coin has been identified as a St Patrick’s farthing, significant among coins issued during this period because it cannot be attributed to an issuer (www.irishcoinage.com).
Twenty-eight ferrous artefacts were recovered from the features on the site, including iron nails, an iron belt buckle, a fragment of an iron key and several knife blades. A thimble with the name ‘Eliot’ inscribed on the top was recovered from a post-medieval ditch.
A large assemblage of pottery was recovered from the site, the majority of which was medieval in date; 670 sherds of medieval pottery were recovered from the features on the site. The dominant pottery types were the locally produced Dublin-type wares, with a date range from late 12th to 14th century (N. Mitchell, pers. comm.). Seventy-eight sherds of post-medieval pottery were recovered from the site. The pottery assemblage includes a fragment of a stoneware vessel from the Frechen region of Germany dating to the 17th century and glazed and unglazed earthenware from the 17th to the 20th century. The pottery recovered from the site represents a long phase of activity, spanning from the late 12th century to the present.