County: Wexford Site name: Ballydawmore 3
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004279
Author: Yvonne Whitty, for TVAS (Ireland) Ltd, Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare.
Site type: Pits and deposits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 701301m, N 641323m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.513865, -6.507520
Ballydawmore 3 was located on the proposed M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme in pasture.
An irregular-shaped pit was located in the south-east corner of the site. This feature was 2.1m long (north to south), 1.4m wide and 0.22m deep and contained loose, mid-orange/brown fine sand with very occasional small stones and occasional amounts of charcoal. This pit was truncated by another irregular-shaped pit and an oval pit. The irregular pit measured 0.85m (east to west) by 0.75m, was 0.35m deep and contained two fills: loose, dark-orange/brown fine sand with very occasional small stones and occasional charcoal overlain by loose, light-yellow/grey fine sand with minimal small stones and occasional charcoal flecks. The oval-shaped pit was 0.7m long (east to west), 0.6m wide and 0.3m deep and filled with a loose, dark-orange/brown fine sand with very occasional small stones and occasional charcoal. Two stone finds were recovered from the fill of this pit. Another irregular pit was located south of the above features. This pit was 1.9m long (north to south), 1.65m wide and up to 0.44m deep and was filled with soft, black/red/brown silty sand with a moderate amount of charcoal flecks. Burnt-bone fragments and worked quartz were retrieved from this feature.
A sub-rounded pit was located in the north-east quadrant of the site, 0.95m long, 0.9m wide and 0.34m deep, containing a soft, mid-orange/brown mixture of topsoil and natural deposits. An irregular deposit of grey sandy silt with charcoal was located north-west of the pit and was possibly associated.
A possible pit was located in the south-west corner of the site. This subcircular feature measured 0.53m by 0.48m, 0.22m deep and was filled with a natural deposit of sand.
A natural hollow containing oxidised material was recorded in the centre of the site. Loose, red oxidised sand filled the hollow and extended beyond it. This deposit measured 1.5m by 1.22m, was just 0.09m thick and may represent a hearth base. A possible prehistoric pottery rim fragment and burnt-bone fragments were recovered from this fill. A deposit located around the hollow may represent hearth rake-out. This deposit of soft red/brown sandy silt with odd small stones was 1.9m long, 1.5m wide and 0.04m deep.
An irregular deposit, interpreted as a possible burning episode, was located north of the above activity and again comprised loose, dark-brown fine silty sand with occasional charcoal and moderate angular stone inclusions. This deposit measured 0.85m by 0.9m and was 0.1m thick.
