County: Wexford Site name: Ballycourcy More 3
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004202
Author: Derek Gallagher, for TVAS (Ireland) Ltd, Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare.
Site type: Pits, post-holes, stake-holes, burnt-stone spreads, drain and furrows
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 700262m, N 637551m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.480163, -6.523955
Ballycourcy More 3 was located on the proposed M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme. The site was situated in tillage.
The excavation revealed evidence of two phases of activity, an earlier phase with pits, post-holes, stake-holes and burnt-stone spreads currently undated, and a later phase represented by a drain and furrows, presumably post-medieval or modern.
Pits, post- and stake-holes
Three pits, two post-holes and four stake-holes were recorded on the site, most sealed by burnt-stone deposits.
The most northerly feature was a sub-oval pit with steep sides and an almost flat base. The pit was aligned north-east to south-west and was 0.84m long, 0.68m wide and 0.15m deep. Two fills were recorded: a primary fill of loose, light-brown/yellow clayey silt with occasional charcoal flecks and pebbles, and a secondary fill of loose, mid-brown/grey silty sand with occasional charcoal flecks and pebbles.
A sub-oval pit located to the south measured 0.7m by 0.65m, was 0.11m deep and was filled with a loose, dark-brown/black silty sand with frequent heat-cracked stones and charcoal.
A more southerly oval pit measured 0.64m by 0.48m and was 0.15m deep with a dark black/brown silty sand fill with frequent heat-cracked stones and charcoal, similar to the overlying main burnt-stone deposit.
The two post-holes were isolated and did not appear to be part of a structure. Both were filled with burnt-stone material.
One stake-hole was isolated but the other three were possibly associated, although no structural function was apparent.
Burnt-stone spread
Four deposits of burnt-stone material were recorded, three of which overlapped. The main deposit was friable, dark black/brown silty sand with frequent heat-cracked stones and charcoal, 9m by 4.5m and 0.02–0.2m deep. The deposit was partially overlain by another burnt-stone spread consisting of loose, mid-grey/brown sandy silt with various-sized stones, heat-cracked stones and charcoal flecks. This deposit measured 4.1–6.1m by 5m and was 0.05–0.21m deep. This deposit was overlain with another burnt-stone-spread deposit, located at the southern end of the site and consisting of a dark-brown silty sand with moderate charcoal flecks and frequent heat-shattered stones, measuring 1.4m by 0.6m and 0.1m thick.
A further burnt-stone spread, 3.45m long, 2.4m wide and 0.09–0.24m thick, that was located at the north-eastern edge of the site consisted of loose, black/dark-grey sandy silt with frequent fire-shattered small angular stones and frequent charcoal flecks. This deposit overlay a silty build-up in a natural hollow.
Agricultural features
The later phase was represented by numerous modern furrows which truncated the archaeological features. A modern drain was also recorded.
