2007:737 - ARDREIGH, Kildare

A fourth season of excavation commenced at Ardreigh on 11 May 2007 and is presently ongoing. The site is expected to be fully resolved by early/mid-2008. The site has previously been reported on in Excavations 2000, No. 458; Excavations 2001, No. 597; Excavations 2002, No. 856, and Excavations 2003, No. 861. The site is located 1.8km south of Athy along the proposed route of the realignment of the L18 Athy–Carlow road. The road-take measures c. 500m north–south by c. 17–20m wide and passes through the medieval borough of Ardreigh. Previous seasons of excavation revealed evidence of limited prehistoric occupation, an Early Christian graveyard element, a medieval graveyard element, and medieval settlement and industry.

The 2007 season concentrated on seven areas, with excavations progressing on a south-to-north basis. Firstly, at the extreme south of the site, a field that was previously unavailable was released to Kildare County Council. This was topsoil-stripped by machine and then excavated by hand. It measured c. 110m north–south by 18m. This area produced evidence of medieval settlement and agricultural activity. This included a series of east–west-aligned plough furrows in the south of the cutting and a north-east/south-west alignment in the north of the cutting. Four ditches were also excavated. Three had an east–west alignment and one a north-east/south-west alignment, with all having varied sizes, shapes and depths. The most southerly of all the ditches was also the largest, measuring 3m wide and over 1m deep. It ran east–west and beyond the limits of excavation and may represent either a parish boundary or a defence ditch. There were no finds in this ditch, although the other ditches contained medieval pottery. Other features excavated within this cutting included two hearths containing medieval pottery and a series of small pits and post-holes. Two large wells were also found, both being over 1.5m deep and containing medieval pottery. This cutting also produced the foundation remains of a series of structures dating from the 1800s to 1900s. These appear on the Land Registry map, possibly dating from 1907, showing the structures intact at this time. However, they do not appear on any previous or subsequent maps. The structures appeared to represent a series of cottages, with a possible piggery and a forge at the northern end of the row.

Approximately 4.5m north of the forge an area measuring 28m north–south by 5m was excavated. This remained unresolved from the previous season of excavation in 2003. This area contained a series of medieval features, including almost 200 stake-holes, a number of post-holes and an earthen kiln. A series of post-holes in the north-east and accompanying support-like post-holes to the west may define a possible structure, but the rest of the stake- and post-holes produced no discernible patterns or structures. An east–west-aligned medieval ditch measuring 1.1m wide and 0.3m deep was also excavated at the southern end of this area. Finds from this area included medieval pottery, pieces of quernstone and possible worked flint.

Approximately 47.5m to the north, another area, measuring 10m north–south by 8m, was also excavated. This was the site of a pottery kiln, partially excavated in the previous season. Excavation here produced evidence for a series of post-holes, stake-holes, pits and two shallow linear features. The post-holes were located close to the road frontage. They varied in size and depth, with an indication that some were load-bearing posts forming the corner of a structure/house. An east–west-oriented linear feature appeared to be a water gully related to the house structure. Located to the east of the structure (i.e. the backyard) were two waste pits, both over 1m in diameter and 0.25–0.35m deep, filled with domestic rubbish such as animal bone and medieval pottery. This backyard was also the location of the pottery kiln excavated in the previous phase of works. Other finds included a medieval knife and fragments of quernstone.

Another area, 72.5m north of the pottery kiln, was also not fully resolved in the previous phase of works. This area measured 28.5m north–south by 20m and will comprise a link road. Three phases of activity were identified here indicating industrial and agricultural activity over a period of time. Phase 1, the latest phase, consisted of a series of modern plough furrows running east–west across the northern half of the site. Phase 2 was medieval in date and consisted of a series of linear ditches, four with a north–south alignment and one with an east–west alignment. Also associated with this phase was a series of linear and two curvilinear features whose function was unknown. The later plough furrows truncated some of these features. Phase 3, the earliest phase of activity, was also medieval in date. Excavated features included a large well, 2.8m deep, three kilns, a large pit and a series of smaller pits and post-holes. One of the kilns had a circular partially stone-lined chamber and a linear stone-lined flue and three associated pits surrounding it. It appeared to be a corn-drying kiln. It was also truncated by two of the linear features from Phase 2, as were other features. Finds from this area included medieval and post-medieval pottery, iron nails, quernstone fragments, two metal knives, a copper-alloy buckle and a coin of unknown date.

An area within the medieval graveyard, 76m north of the link road, remained unresolved. This comprised a strip of land on the western edge of the road-take that measured 10.5m north–south by 5m. A further 25 full and partial inhumations were excavated from this area to add to the c. 1550 excavated from the previous phases of works. These consisted of a mix of male and female, adult and sub-adult, extended supine inhumations with heads to the west. Beneath the burials was a linear feature turning from north–south to east–west. This was not truncated by the burials and appeared to be an enclosure feature, perhaps associated with an earlier phase of activity.

30m north of this area, at the extreme north of the site, was another area of land that was previously unavailable. This measured c. 50m north–south by 30m and is currently under excavation. This will be the final area to be resolved on the site. As this northern end of the site had produced archaeological finds and features of an impressive nature from the previous phases of excavations, it was decided to remove only the sod by machine, with the topsoil being removed by hand. To date, the foundation remains of two modern houses, a shed and a yard surface have been removed. On removal of one of these structures, a polished stone axehead was found sitting on a layer of clay. The axehead measured 0.32m long, 0.1m wide and 0.05m thick. It did not appear to be made from a locally sourced stone. A pit containing modern rubbish also produced a granite stone font. This measured 0.62m long, 0.42m wide and 0.27m deep. In the foundations of the shed a carved limestone block, measuring 0.24m long, 0.23m wide and 0.18m thick, was found. This had fine diagonal dressing on one side and three chamfered facets. There was roll moulding on the other side and niches in both sides. This appeared to be ecclesiastical in origin. A medieval bone dice was also found under one of the structures. Excavations are ongoing in this area.

Finally, a series of six test-trenches were excavated along the route of a proposed outflow pipe that is to run from the extreme south of the site in a south-west direction towards the River Barrow. It will be c. 275m in length. The first trench, located close to the start of the north-east end of the scheme, produced the only signs of possible archaeological activity. This consisted of a linear feature cut into the natural, running roughly north–south across the width of the trench. It was 1.17m wide and 0.48m deep and may represent a drainage feature. It contained no finds. The other five trenches produced no finds or features of an archaeological nature.

1 The Heath, Newtown Manor, Kill, Co. Kildare