2009:601 - CASTLETOWN, Mayo

Pre-development testing was carried out between 23 and 25 February 2009 at a site at Castletown, Cross, Co. Mayo. The proposed development consisted of the construction of a serviced dwelling-house and effluent treatment plant. The site was located within the constraint for a castle. The monument consists of an oblong motte-like mound, which measures c. 30m east–west by 20–25m and c. 3.5m high. The mound appears to be constructed of earth and stone and its summit may have supported a stone structure, possibly a keep, based on the amount of rubble on the summit and strewn along the sides of the mound. The entire mound is overgrown with hazel, hawthorn, ash and sycamore trees. The monument is marked ^Site of Castle’ on the first edition of the OS 6-inch sheet. The proposed access road into the site was due to pass as close as c. 10m from the base of the mound and c. 17m from the summit, whereas the proposed dwelling would be located over 60m away from the base of the mound.

The proposed development site was located in pastureland. The north-west of the site was the location of Castletown House, a 19th-century mansion of which no visible surface trace remained. Approximately 30m south-west of the site were the ruins of another castle (MA123–007).
Testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of five trenches located to best cover the area of the site, particularly that closest to the castle along the proposed access road/driveway. The spoil from the test-trenches was investigated using a metal detector, as requested by the National Museum of Ireland (licence 09R51). The trenches measured 60m, 40.2m, 81.4m, 32.9m and 32.8m long respectively, 1.05–2.2m wide and 0.1–2.2m deep. Below the topsoil and an existing access road/track were fill, orange/grey/brown firm clay, grey loose loamy sand and gravel and grey friable sandy silt loam. Modern artefacts were recovered from four of the five trenches.
The testing revealed natural undisturbed stratigraphy in one of the trenches. Three trenches contained evidence of activity associated with Castletown House: fill which was part of the access road into the estate house, fill which appeared to be the remains of the house itself and fill which covered what appeared to be a sewer pipe which would have served Castletown House. Below these three modern fills was the original topsoil and natural subsoils.
One feature of possible archaeological significance was revealed within the trench along that section of proposed access road/driveway located closest to the monument. It consisted of a 16.5m-long section of fill comprised mainly of large boulders which contained a small number of animal bone fragments and one oyster shell. Although it contained no easily datable artefacts, it was located near the edge of the motte-like mound upon which stands the remains of the castle. The striking thing about the make-up of the fill was that large boulders were located at the top above smaller rocks below.