County: Waterford Site name: Area 2, Woodstown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A037; E3434
Author: Ian Russell, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd, Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth.
Site type: Testing
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 655255m, N 611459m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.252070, -7.190739
This site was tested as part of the pre-construction archaeological mitigation of the N25 Waterford bypass, alternative route. The assessment of Area 2 involved an intensive programme of testing using test-trenching (Fields 19, 22–23), hand-dug test-pit excavation and bulk-stripping of the sod and topsoil combined with a metal-detection survey (Fields 20–21 and 29).
A total of 3 test-trenches were excavated in Field 19, 26 in Field 22 and 23 in Field 23. The only features exposed were a large number of post-medieval field drains and ditches. No archaeological features or deposits were exposed.
Five test-pits (TP 1–5) were excavated by hand through the sod and topsoil in Field 20 prior to topsoil-stripping. Each test-pit measured 1m by 1m. The topsoil consisted of a compact mid-brown sticky clay, measured 0.21m in thickness and lay directly above the natural orange/grey-coloured sandy clay. No archaeological features or deposits were exposed. Nine test-pits (TP 6–14) were excavated by hand through the sod and topsoil in Field 21 prior to topsoil-stripping. The topsoil consisted of a compact mid-brown sticky clay, measured 0.19m in thickness and lay directly above the natural orange/grey-coloured sandy clay. No archaeological features or deposits were exposed.
The sod and topsoil in Fields 20–21 and 29 were stripped by machine under supervision following detailed metal-detection surveys and the test-pit excavation programme. Ten field drains, two furrows and two ditches were exposed in Field 20 following the removal of the topsoil. A total of nineteen field drains, two ditches and nine furrows were exposed in Field 21 following the removal of the topsoil. A total of six field drains were exposed in Field 29 following machine-stripping of topsoil.
The metal-detection surveys identified a total of 268 finds from the sod and 1443 finds from the topsoil in Field 20, 283 finds from the sod and 3316 finds from the topsoil in Field 21 and 69 finds from the sod and 180 finds from the topsoil in Field 29. The majority of the finds were post-medieval or modern in date (decayed iron nails, nuts and bolts, horseshoes, lead fragments, tin, cast iron), though two possible lead weights and a portion of a silver ingot were recovered from the topsoil in Field 21.
