County: Wexford Site name: Templescoby 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004199
Author: Derek Gallagher, for TVAS (Ireland) Ltd, Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare.
Site type: Burnt-stone spread, trough, stake-holes, pits and post-hole, and post-medieval ditches, drains, furrows and pit
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 693466m, N 638942m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.493874, -6.623589
Templescoby 2 was located on the proposed M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme. The site was situated in pasture.
Four phases of activity (A–D) were identified. A number of features (trough and stake-holes, and pits) were recorded underneath a burnt-stone spread, sealed by redeposited natural material and cut by drains.
Phase A
The phase was defined by the trough and associated features.
The trough and stake-holes were located in the south-east quadrant of the site. The trough was orientated east to west and was rectangular in shape with rounded corners. It had sharp breaks of slope at the top and base, vertical sides, with a slightly concave base sloping down from east to west. The trough measured approximately 2.13m x 1.58m x 0.34m. Forty-four stake-holes were recorded in association with this trough. Twenty-one stake-holes, in four clusters, were located in the corners of the trough. A further 21 stake-holes were recorded beyond the trough but close to it, in two groups, at the north-east and south-east corners. Single stake-holes were located outside the south-west corner and to the south. All the stake-holes were filled with soft, dark-grey to black silty sand with occasional to frequent charcoal, very small sub-angular stones and occasional burnt quartz. It is likely that these stake-holes supported a wooden trough structure, such as lining, a screen or windbreak. Two deposits subsequently filled the trough. The primary fill was only 0.09m deep and consisted of soft, light-grey sandy clay with occasional small fire-cracked angular stones and occasional charcoal. The secondary fill was soft, dark-grey silty sand with some medium-sized fire-crashed stones and occasional charcoal and was similar to the burnt-stone spread which covered the majority of the site. The trough was presumably utilised for fulacht fiadh-type activity.
Three other pits were recorded west and south of the trough.
One of the pits was large, 4.5m long, 2.45–2.7m wide and 0.68m deep, filled with soft, grey to brown clayey and silty sandy layers which have different quantities of charcoal and small angular fire-crashed stones.
The other two pits were smaller, 0.5m x 0.42m x 0.11m and 2.4m x 1.2m x 0.19m. The smaller pit was filled with black sandy silt with charcoal and stones. The larger pit was filled with moderate dark-grey silty clay with occasional stones, quartz and white and red stone seen elsewhere on the site, and large amount of charcoal.
Phase B
This phase was represented by a burnt-stone spread that overlay the Phase A features.
The overlying burnt-stone spread was a single deposit, irregular in shape, 16m long (north–south), 10.2m wide and 0.1–0.2m deep. This deposit consisted of dark-grey silty sand with inclusions of small to medium-sized angular heat-affected stones and occasional charcoal and, presumably, represents the material upcast from burnt-stone-generating activity.
Phase A/B
Two features were recorded south and east of the burnt-stone spread and so cannot be stratigraphically related to the other activity. They were, however, probably of an archaeological origin.
A pit located south of the spread was sub-oval in plan, with gently sloping sides and a slightly concave base, and contained two fills. The primary fill was a compact, yellow/mid-brown sandy clay with occasional organic material. The secondary fill was compact, black silty sand with sub-angular small stones (0.02–0.04m) and occasional small charcoal flecks. This pit may also be associated with the burnt-stone-generating activity.
A post-hole was located immediately east of the trough and the burnt-stone spread. The post-hole was circular in plan, with vertical sides and concave base. It measured 0.39m x 0.26m x 0.21m and contained two fills. The primary fill was soft, grey/yellow silty sand and was 0.14m thick. The secondary fill was soft, dark-grey silty sand with occasional charcoal and was 0.07m thick.
Phase C
Redeposited natural material was located in the south-west quadrant of the site and overlay the burnt-stone deposit. This deposit was 0.8m long, 0.52m wide and 0.06m deep moderate, light to medium brown silty sand with occasional sharp-edged stones and pebbles.
Phase D
The later phase of activity was represented by drains, drainage ditches, a pit and furrows which were post-medieval or modern in date.
