County: Wexford Site name: Ballycarrigeen Lower 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004231
Author: Margaret McNamara, for TVAS (Ireland) Ltd, Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare.
Site type: Burnt-stone spread, trough, sublinear feature and modern drain
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 705270m, N 647418m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.567873, -6.447133
Ballycarrigeen Lower 1 was located on the proposed M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme. The site was situated in reclaimed wetland.
The burnt-stone spread was irregularly shaped and measured approximately 11.3m by 1.9m with a maximum depth of approximately 0.6m. The spread contained three separate deposits. The primary deposit consisted of mid-brown/grey silty clay with small to medium-sized sub-rounded stones. The secondary deposit was black sandy silt with moderate amounts of heat-affected stones and occasional charcoal. The tertiary deposit consisted of black/grey silty sand with moderate amounts of heat-affected stone and occasional charcoal. This final deposit extended to the south-east, beyond the limits of the CPO area. It is likely that these deposits accumulated as a result of cleaning out and dumping of trough material.
A sub-linear feature cut through the burnt-stone spread. This feature was 5.72m long, 2.2–3.2m wide and 0.1–0.4m deep. It was filled with a loosely compacted mixed ‘churned-up’ deposit consisting of yellow redeposited natural, brown organic rooty, grey silty clay and mottled burnt-stone material. This feature has been interpreted as a natural depression, a relict stream or a modern drainage feature backfilled with disturbed material, possibly related to modern drainage activity. A modern drain, 0.45m wide and 0.4m deep, also cut through the burnt stone. This feature has been interpreted as a ‘French drain’ and is presumably post-medieval or modern in date.
A simple unlined trough was located immediately north of the spread. The trough was subrectangular in shape, measured 1.98m by 1.2m and was 0.2m deep. The profile of the trough was roughly concave with moderate breaks of slope, sides and a moderately curved base. The trough was filled with a single deposit of moderately compacted dark black silty clay with moderate amounts of medium-sized heat-affected stone and occasional charcoal. This deposit represents the last event within the trough. The deposit filling the trough was similar to the secondary burnt-spread deposit, and it is possible that the burnt spread originally extended further north and overlay the trough.
An isolated deposit, which measured 1.2m by 1m and was 0.1m deep, consisted of black/red organic sandy peat with frequent root activity inclusions. This deposit was cut by the modern drain and has been interpreted as an old deposit, tentatively associated with the burnt-stone spread and trough, and disturbed by drainage activity.
