County: Wexford Site name: Gorey Civic Centre, The Avenue, Gorey
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WX007–033 Licence number: 07E0865
Author: Teresa Bolger, for Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, 27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Site type: Urban
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 715188m, N 659400m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.673517, -6.296724
Monitoring was undertaken in conjunction with the development of the new Gorey Civic Centre. A small archaeological site was uncovered during topsoil-stripping, extending over an area measuring 10m north–south by 7.5m.
Excavation established that this was a small metalworking area which appeared to be involved in the production of copper-alloy objects, as copper-alloy slag was recovered from the majority of the features. The activity may have centred around the production of copper-alloy coins or tokens, as a possible coin/token blank was recovered from the upper fill of one feature. The main features on the site were two furnaces, each of which contained evidence for two phases of firing activity and subsequent backfilling.
A 17th-century date could be suggested, as the modern town of Gorey was founded as a Plantation town at this time. However, pottery recovered from the site has been identified as primarily a mix of Wexford-type ware and Wexford-type coarseware, with no post-medieval wares present, indicating a medieval date. No other evidence for medieval settlement or activity has previously been identified within the town, although there is historical evidence that suggests a medieval settlement of some kind pre-dated the Plantation town. Results of radiocarbon dating are awaited to confirm the evidence from the ceramic assemblage.
