2008:068 - A1 Scheme 1, Newry, Lisdrumliska/Carrivemaclone – Site 20, Armagh

This site was uncovered during monitoring of topsoil removal in advance of the construction of a new bypass around Newry, Co. Down/Armagh (A1 road improvement scheme, Beech Hill, Co. Down, to Cloghogue, Co. Armagh), and was located in the townlands of Lisdrumliska and Carrivemaclone, c. 2km south-west of Newry city centre. The stripped area lay along the west side of the present-day A1 road leading south from Newry to Dundalk. The area incorporated under the licence for this site stretched for 750m and measured c. 50m in width. There are two recorded sites nearby, that of a possible large enclosure (ARM026–027) situated west of the existing Newry bypass and south of Bernish Road and a bridge (IAR62–95) (IGR: J07472453) associated with the railway line between Bernish Road and Cloghogue. Neither would be directly affected by the proposed scheme.
The archaeology on this site consisted of groups of possible prehistoric pits. The archaeology was situated within ten individual areas (A–J) across the site.
Area A measured c. 15m by 18m and was located at the base of a south-east-facing slope. The archaeology consisted of a group of eleven intercutting pits, a cluster of four intercutting pits, eight individual pits and two intercutting pits. There was no apparent structural arrangement to the features but all contained an element of charcoal flecking. No finds were retrieved during excavation and it is suggested that this complex of pits may represent periodic use of this area for refuse purposes, although further analysis of the samples retrieved may reveal evidence of specific practices.
Area B was situated c. 20m north on the same south-facing slope as Area A. The area investigated measured c. 15m by 20m and consisted of nine pits with no apparent structural pattern and six post-medieval furrows orientated east to west. There were three pits in the south-east corner of this area, three in the south-west corner and the remaining three were situated in the north of the area. All of the pits contained an element of charcoal but no finds were retrieved during excavation.
On the same slope as the aforementioned areas, Area C was located c. 10m north-east upslope of Area B. It measured c. 6m by 10m and the archaeology consisted of two pit features and two parallel post-medieval drainage features, which were overlain by a field boundary. Of the pit features, one may have been a hearth due to the presence of a stony deposit set into its base and the moderate charcoal content of the fill. The two post-medieval drainage features were orientated south-south-east to north-north-west. These linear features terminated to the north-north-west, where they were post-dated by the west–east-orientated field boundary. Post-medieval pottery was retrieved from one of the earliest drainage feature.
Area D was located along the western edge of Site 20, was situated on the same south-facing slope that accommodated Areas A, B, C and G and was situated c. 20m west of Area C. The area investigated measured 5m by 5m and the archaeology consisted of an irregular-shaped pit. The singular charcoal-rich feature in this area extended beyond the limit of excavation to the west and the true extent of this feature is unknown.
Area E was located on the north side of the drumlin that accommodated Areas A–D and G, c. 45m north-west of Area D. The archaeology consisted of an isolated pit with a reddish-coloured fill. Suggestive of burning, this feature may be the remains of a hearth, although there was no evidence of any structure within the stripped area around this feature.
Area F was located c. 295m south of Area A along the road-strip. Four pits were uncovered during the excavation of this area and, although they showed no apparent structural arrangement, there was a high charcoal content in the fills of each feature. Of particular significance was the presence of burnt-stone fragments found in one of the features. This is evidence that stones were heated and may simply have been caused by repeated burning in a hearth. There was no trough feature (which would normally be associated with burnt stone) located near this area.
Area G was located on a south-facing slope which accommodated Areas A–E, c. 15m north-west of Area B. The area investigated measured 7m by 7m and the archaeology consisted of two subsoil-cut pits close to each other. Both features contained an element of charcoal, suggesting possible burning. No finds were retrieved during excavation.
The slope that accommodated the last three areas faced north-north-west and rose by c. 20m over a 100m area. This meant that this southern part of Site 20 (Areas H, I and J) inherently commanded views over Newry city to the north and east. The archaeology in Area H consisted of a large ash-like spread, which was cut by a very steep-sided pit or trough. This trough was filled with charcoal-rich material as well as burnt-stone fragments. An outlying pit was also found to the north of this trough. The layout of the archaeology here is similar to that observed in fulachta fiadh, where a trough is found with a peripheral spread of waste burnt material. These site types are usually found in the vicinity of a water source, generally in low-lying areas. This area of archaeology was located 138m above sea level and the nearest water source was the Newry River, over 1km to the east.
Area I lay c. 15m upslope from Area H and was located on a relatively level plateau overlooking Area H to the north. The area investigated measured 10m by 13m and the archaeology consisted of six pits in a possible trapezoid structural arrangement, with the ephemeral remains of six possible stake-holes central to the internal space defined by the six pits/post-holes. The features here may represent the remains of a possible structure, with the outer six features representing the main structure and the six ephemeral features representing a lightweight internal structure.
Area J was the most southerly and the highest above sea level of all the areas investigated along the A1 Scheme 1 construction line. The four pits uncovered showed no structural pattern and were situated around an area of natural bedrock.