2011:158 - THE GROVE, DOWNPATRICK, Down

The proposed development was located in the area of The Grove in Downpatrick, Co. Down, and comprised groundworks associated with park improvements. The Grove is an area of woodland planted during the 18th century on the south-facing slope of Cathedral Hill. It is located within the Downpatrick Area of Archaeological Potential as designated on the Draft Ards and Down Area Plan 2015.

The deposits encountered during the monitoring works consisted largely of a series of garden soil deposits. Natural deposits were reached in seven of the thirteen excavated lamppost pits. The garden soil deposits are likely to have accumulated over time.

Disarticulated human remains were encountered during monitoring. They were occasionally recovered from the garden soils but the majority were retrieved from a levelling layer, rich in demolition debris, overlying the garden soils and concentrated in the areas close to the cathedral. The minimum number of individuals present was seven, comprising five adults, one juvenile and one infant. The bones were too incomplete to determine the age or sex of the adults and there was no pathology noted (Laureen Buckley, unpublished report).

The skeletal remains are likely to have originated from the earlier burial grounds associated with the cathedral. The cathedral has its origins in the medieval period. It was restored in 1789 and 1812, with the tower added in 1826. It is possible that the foundations for the later additions were excavated through an earlier burial ground and the resulting spoil dumped on the Grove grounds next door.

In addition, a substantial archaeological feature, most like a pit rich in charcoal, was observed at the base of one of the pits excavated for a lamppost. The feature was recorded in plan, covered with terram and preserved in situ.

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