County: Wexford Site name: Berkeley 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004121
Author: Liam Hackett, Headland Archaeology (Ireland) Ltd, Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork.
Site type: Fulacht fiadh and associated features
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 677406m, N 630097m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.416903, -6.862082
Excavations at Berkeley 2 were undertaken on behalf of Wexford County Council as part of the Stage (iii) archaeological services contract prior to the commencement of construction of the N25 New Ross bypass road scheme.
Excavation at Berkeley 2 revealed evidence of fulacht fiadh activity in the form of a rectangular trough with maximum dimensions of 2.7m in length (east–west), 2.1m in width and 0.5m in depth. A total of 52 stake-holes were identified in and around the cut of this trough, suggesting that it was at one time lined. The trough was filled by numerous deposits containing heat-affected stones and charcoal.
An irregularly shaped spread of burnt material was identified approximately 3m to the west of the trough. It measured 4.5m (north-north-west/south-south-east) by 2m by 0.1m deep and comprised charcoal and heat-affected stone. This spread was truncated by a large pit of uncertain function which measured 1.57m long (east–west), 1.27m wide and 0.48m deep; it was subrectangular in plan. A second pit was located directly to the north. It was small and oval in plan, measuring 0.9m (north-east/south-west) by 0.7m by 0.44m deep. Its fills contained occasional inclusions of charcoal.
Agricultural activity was also evident at Berkeley 2 in the form of seven plough furrows. These were all orientated in an east-north-east/west-south-west direction.
