2007:760 - Ballyvass, Kildare

This site was excavated as part of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford scheme, Phase 3: Kilcullen to Carlow. The majority of this site was situated on a southern slope of a gravel ridge. A ring-ditch was located at the base of the ridge in the south-west corner of the site. Directly over the brow of the gravel ridge hill, a ringfort was situated on a northern slope. To the east lay Burrow Hill and a working gravel quarry. Extensive testing was carried out in 2006 by CRDS Ltd. These investigations revealed a curvilinear ditch and a straight section of ditch, a possible souterrain. An area measuring 9092m2 was stripped of topsoil.
Excavation revealed approximately 75% of the ditch enclosure within the proposed road corridor. Ten cuttings through the ditch revealed it was subcircular, possibly D-shaped in plan, with an external diameter of 37m. The southern part of the ditch was rounded and gradually curved to the west. It had an average width of 4m and a depth of 1.8m. To the west the ditch became narrow and deep, with an average width of 3.5m and a depth of 2m. At the northernmost part, the ditch turned sharply to the east, where it rose to an average depth of 1.5m. This section of the enclosure was cut into an area of fine sand and gravels. Here the ditch was recut several times to prevent silting. There was no evidence of an entrance to the enclosure. A number of linear features were identified extending west from the ditch and several levelling deposits were recorded above them. These deposits may represent the remains of a bank that was ploughed out. Finds from the ditch include two bone pins, bone fragments with butchery marks, corroded metal and medieval pottery sherds recovered from the upper three fills of the ditch.
The earth-cut souterrain was located to the south of the enclosure and was orientated north-west/south-east; c. 11m of the souterrain lay within the road corridor. It had an average width of 3.5m and a depth of 3.5m. The souterrain was linear, with a rounded terminus at the north-west end. Here, the remains of a burnt wooden structure lay at the base. Full analysis of the structure has yet to be undertaken; evidence in the form of charred planks of wood, carbonised barley/oats, charred straw and carbonised sacking cloth suggests the possible remains of a cereal-drying kiln. The souterrain was backfilled with distinct phases of fine gravels, and pits filled with organic rich and red oxidised deposits. Several of the pits were recut by later pits; all contained similar organic deposits. The souterrain was backfilled to match the internal ground level of the enclosure.
Two large pits were located c. 5m from the souterrain. The first was a square-shaped pit; it measured 1.75m by 1.75m and was 1.4m deep and contained similar deposits to the souterrain pits. The second pit was subcircular in shape and was truncated by a linear drain. It measured 1.5m by 1.09m and was 1.33m deep. Several shallow pits were identified to the southern end of the interior of the enclosure. There was no evidence of buildings or structures within the ringfort. Almost 100 finds were recovered from pits and deposits within the souterrain. They included polished and butchered bone, heavily corroded metal blades, knives, nails and pins, some corroded copper fragments and various possible stone tools. The more interesting finds include a silver-plated zoomorphic terminal of a drinking horn, c. 7th/8th century, a metal spearhead, an ornate corroded silver-plated possible pinhead or clasp, a complete bone pin and two fragmented composite bone combs.
The ring-ditch was not identified by geophysical survey or the testing mentioned above. It was located c. 85m south of the ringfort. It was circular in plan had an external diameter of 2.6m. There was no evidence of a bank or mound. The average width of the ditch was 0.9m; the depth varied from 0.44m to 0.76m. Excavation of the ditch fills revealed a well-stratified sequence of deposits and included several charcoal and burnt-bone cremation layers. Each cremation appeared to be sealed by a redeposited natural layer. Post-excavation analysis of the burnt bone and charcoal-rich deposits is ongoing. Finds from the ditch include six corroded copper fragments from the same context. These were found together and may have once formed a single object or pin.
Several archaeological features were identified outside the main enclosure, including two possible truncated cereal-drying kilns, a charcoal-rich area of surface burning with a nearby post-hole containing metal slag and several random post-holes located near the ring-ditch. Two spindle-whorls were recovered from one of these post-holes.