County: Kildare Site name: Baronsland
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E002882
Author: Emer Dennehy, for Headland Archaeology Ltd, Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork.
Site type: Prehistoric pit complex
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 683465m, N 703839m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.078631, -6.754273
The site was identified during testing of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Carlow roadway by IAC Ltd. At this time the site was recorded as comprising six pits/post-holes, one of which contained a sherd of prehistoric pottery.
An area measuring 225m2 was stripped of topsoil. Excavation commenced on site on 27 August 2007 and was completed on 4 September 2007.
Two phases of activity were identified. Phase I related to the prehistoric/Bronze Age activity on site, which had two episodes of use as noted through the recutting of features. A total of five pits, three stakes and a hearth were identified, with 140 finds retrieved. The finds were dominated by sherds of thick-walled pottery and struck flints and quartz. The most notable finds were four grinding and rubbing stones, the small size of which implies they were handheld.
The recutting of features which occurred on this site was also noted in the neighbouring sites E2883 and E2884 (see Nos 766 and 767 below). It is reasonable to interpret these three sites, located within a 50m length of the road route, as components of one large prehistoric settlement site.
Phase II activities on site are agricultural in nature and identified by the presence of two north–south-running drainage ditches.
Testing to determine the complete extent of the site was conducted on 20 November 2007. Four test-trenches were excavated running parallel to the north, south, east and west sides of the site and measured 13.6m, 18.6m, 16.1m and 15.4m respectively. The trenches had an average width of 2m and varied in depth from 0.36m to 0.5m. No archaeological stratigraphy was identified.
