County: Louth Site name: Haynestown, Site 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 08E0476
Author: Gill McLoughlin, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120b Greenpark Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Site type: Prehistoric structure
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 705448m, N 802286m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.959121, -6.393178
Excavation of Site 1 took place on 11–22 August 2008 as a result of a planned housing scheme by Cannon and Kirk Developments Ltd. The site was one of a number of sites identified as a result of an extensive programme of test-trenching carried out in 2005 (Excavations 2005, No. 1078, 05E0963).
During testing a small circular post structure and a souterrain with possible associated enclosure were identified at this site. The post structure was fully excavated as detailed below. The preferred mitigation for the souterrain and enclosure, located c. 40m from the structure, was preservation in situ and as a result the development layout has been redesigned to allow these remains to be preserved within a green area.
The circular post structure was situated at the top of a natural rise within c. 200m of a small stream. The topsoil was quite shallow in this area and the structure had been somewhat truncated by ploughing and also by a later linear ditch. The circular structure consisted of c. ten post-holes and measured c. 3m in diameter.
Finds recovered from the structure included a grinding stone, a small quantity of probable Bronze Age pottery and much flint, most of which consisted of waste fragments and debitage.
