2007:1413 - NEW STREET, TRIM, Meath

Monitoring of groundworks for the foundations of two new buildings was carried out in 2006 and reported on in Excavations 2006 (No. 1656). Further monitoring took place on 10 July 2007 during the excavation of a foundation trench for a wall on the west side of Building 1, situated on the south side of New Street, Trim. The 0.9m-wide trench was excavated by a mini-digger. The trench extended for 11.7m from the southern boundary wall of the development, before turning east for 5.7m towards Building 1. The west edge of the trench was 8.5m from Building 1.
Excavation commenced from the wall at the south and exposed shale bedrock under 0.2–0.3m of garden soil for most of the length of the trench. Some animal bones, modern crockery and plastic items were noted in the topsoil. A 19th-century clay-pipe bowl with an ‘IRELAND’ stamp was retained. At c. 3m from the north end of the trench, bedrock dipped under natural yellowish-brown clay subsoil.
At the right-angled turn in the trench, excavation was taken to a depth of 0.6m to obtain firm ground for the foundation. A deposit of probable archaeological interest was exposed at the base of the trench. The deposit had maximum dimensions of 2.5m east–west by 0.75m and continued north and west beyond the limits of the trench. It consisted of light-greyish-brown silty clay mottled with patches of yellow/brown clay and with occasional inclusions of oxidised soil. It contained a moderate quantity of small shaly stones, some oxidised to a reddish-brown colour, and occasional to moderate charcoal pieces (up to 10mm size). Some roots penetrated into the deposit. The surface 50mm of the deposit was cleaned by trowel to ascertain its extent, but no datable finds were recovered. No further excavation took place and the deposit remains in situ. The deposit is probably the fill of a pit or hollow and is unlikely to be modern. A sherd of 19th–20th-century glazed white earthenware was recovered from immediately above the deposit but may have been introduced here by the machine bucket.
Over the archaeological deposit was 0.2m of light-grey/brown silty clay, which may be the upper fill in the presumed cut. This was overlain in turn by a 0.4m thickness of topsoil and sod.