County: Roscommon Site name: Rathpeak 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A034; E2834
Author: Neil Jackman, Valerie J. Keeley Ltd, Brehon House, Kilkenny Road, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny.
Site type: Early modern estate road and field boundary
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 591347m, N 730863m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.327955, -8.129884
This site was identified during Phase 1 testing for the N6 Ballinasloe–Athlone road scheme in December 2006; Phase 2 excavations were carried out in April 2007 and post-excavation analysis is ongoing.
Prior to excavation, the subsurface remains of the two features were clearly visible. The estate road traversed the field in a north-east/south-west direction and the field boundary was visible as a low ridge (0.35m high) running west-north-west/east- south-east at the southern edge of the roadway. The roadway was defined on an 1836–1846 OS map connected to another road which led to Rathpeak House (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage; RO-47-M-909303).
Five trenches were hand excavated across the possible roadway measuring 15m long and 1m wide. A metalled surface underlay the sod and topsoil within each trench. It was 4m wide and had a varying depth of 0.1–0.5m. The road was flanked by parallel running narrow drains (each c. 2m wide, 0.5m deep). These drains were then flanked by the upcast material (greyish-brown silty sand) from their construction (c. 2m wide and 0.2m thick).
Five trenches were also hand excavated across the field boundary as it was possible that it may have been related to the estate road. These trenches were 5m long and 2m wide. Upon the removal of sod and topsoil a bank and a shallow ditch were revealed within each trench. The shallow ditch (c. 0.5m deep and 1.5m wide) was filled with mid-brown clayey sand. The bank consisted of the upcast from this ditch (2.35m wide and 0.25m thick). It was clear from the excavation of these trenches that this feature was the subsurface remains of a field boundary of no archaeological significance.
A number of artefacts of probable 18th–19th-century date were recovered during the excavation. These included sherds of post-medieval pottery, glass and a small iron hammer head.
Rathpeak 2 consisted of an estate road (with a metalled surface) which was lined with drains and banks consisting of upcast from the drains. The site also featured a field boundary which was of little archaeological or historical significance. The estate road was undoubtedly associated with Rathpeak House and also possibly associated with Rathpeak 1 (A034; E2826, No. 1508 above), which consisted of an early modern vernacular house and associated features.
