County: Wexford Site name: Ballydawmore 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004240
Author: Yvonne Whitty, for TVAS (Ireland) Ltd, Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare.
Site type: Metalworking site
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 701299m, N 641400m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.514557, -6.507526
Ballydawmore 2 was located on the proposed M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme. The site was situated in a field in pasture with the Corbally Stream as its southern boundary and hedgerow as its western boundary.
The site of Ballydawmore 2 consisted of a J-shaped slot-trench with associated pits and stake-holes representing a metalworking site.
The slot-trench, which had a total length of 20m, extended from east to west for 2.5m, curved south-east to north-west for 7m and continued north-eastwards for approximately another 10.5m, before petering out. The U-shaped profile of this slot-trench, which was 0.8m wide and reached a maximum depth of 0.27m, contained a moderate amount of slag in the lower fill, which was soft grey silty sand. Although it may possibly have had a drainage function, this feature was probably the foundation trench for a wall of a subrectangular structure. The south-east side of the building was not seen, either because it did not survive or perhaps because it was originally open on this side.
Within the internal area of the slot-trench were a furnace, two pits and several stake-holes. The subcircular furnace, which showed evidence of intensive in situ burning, measured 0.75m by 0.6m and was 0.42m deep, with steep sides and a flat base. The basal fill was almost entirely charcoal, and slag was recovered from other fills. The two pits lay either side of the furnace and contained charcoal-rich material with slag, probably waste from the metalworking activity. A cluster of six stake-holes was located 1.4m north of the pits. The function of the stake-holes is unknown, but they were presumably related to the furnace.
Two pits were located close to the eastern terminus of the slot-trench. The smaller subcircular pit, which was located approximately 1m to the north, measured 1.1m diameter and was 0.55m deep. This pit contained slag and was therefore probably contemporary with the structure. The larger oval pit, which measured 4.1m by 1.75m, was located 3m east of the slot-trench. The only artefactual material from this feature was struck flint and this pit may be unrelated to the metalworking activity. Two post- and three stake-holes excavated elsewhere in the site may also have been unrelated.
