2011:229 - ROGERSTOWN, Dublin

Test trenching was carried out at the site of the discovery of human remains in Rogerstown, Rush, Co. Dublin, from July to November 2011. The site is located beside Rogerstown estuary, which lies to its south, and is bordered on the west by a stream which flows into the estuary. The remains had been identified during cable-trench excavations associated with the East–West Interconnector Project (EWIP) (above, No. 175). Although monitoring of topsoil-stripping of the area had been carried out, there were no visible indications at that stage of the existence of archaeological features. Following the discovery, an inspection of the site revealed human skeletal material exposed along an approximately 9m stretch of the open trench. Grave-cuts were visible in places in the section faces of the trench, their upper surfaces lying approximately 0.3m beneath the reduced ground surface level. All further works within an approximately 100m length of the cable corridor were suspended pending a programme of testing, which focused on identifying both the full extent of the burials and other associated features.
Testing involved the hand-excavation of 32 test trenches/pits approximately 1.5–2m by 1.5–2m in size. These indicated that the burials extend for a distance of approximately 15m east to west along the line of the construction corridor and extend over its entire 20m width. Therefore the burial area most probably extends to the edge of the land bordering the estuary and may be partly eroded. Burial orientation could only be determined with certainty in two cases and these indicated a north to south alignment, with head to the south. A number of burials were in stone-lined graves. A radiocarbon determination for one of the burials returned a date of AD 618–675 (2-sigma).
A number of ditches were also identified to the east and west of the burials and it is possible that these served to demarcate the burial area. The ditch on the west appeared to be of sizeable proportions and produced charred grain from its fill. Across the width of the construction corridor the burials and associated ditches were sealed by a depth of approximately 0.3m of soil which had lain beneath the modern cultivation horizon. It was this soil that concealed the archaeological site from detection during initial topsoil removal. This soil was similar to topsoil in constituency and contained frequent inclusions of medieval potsherds and animal bone. The depth of this soil and the fact that it was approximately coextensive with the burial area suggest that it was deliberately imported, while the frequent inclusion of medieval potsherds within it suggests that this event occurred during high or late medieval times.
A metalled surface that appeared to represent a roadway was identified to the east of the burial area. The northern and southern edges of this road were exposed in some of the test trenches, indicating that it was aligned east to west. A length of at least 60m of this road was preserved within the testing area. The association of late medieval potsherds with the fabric of this road provides a clue to the date of its construction and the road may therefore post-date the use of the site as a burial ground. It is not known, however, whether this road continued eastwards over the burials or what is its stratigraphic relationship to the medieval soil horizon. It might possibly be associated with the historically recorded use of the location as a port during later medieval times.

Byrne Mullins & Associates, 7 Cnoc Na Greine Square, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare