2011:619 - PART OF WEXFORD TOWN/PART OF FERNS TOWN/SOUTH OF KILMUCKRIDGE VILLAGE/CLOUGH TO OUTSKIRTS OF GOREY/BALLYCANEW TO BALLYGARRET, Wexford

Engineering site investigations openings, as part of the proposed rehabilitation of the water mains within parts of County Wexford, were monitored. The areas monitored included a section of Wexford town, a small part of Ferns, along a stretch of public road to the south of Kilmuckridge, the stretch of public road between the village of Clogh and to the south-west of the outskirts of Gorey town, and a section of public road between Ballycanew and Ballygarret. All of the works were sited along public roads/footpaths.

Regarding Wexford town, monitored site investigation works extended to the west and north-west of the town centre. Two further sections were part of these works (White Mill Road and Distillery Road) but were outside the zone of archaeological potential for Wexford town (WX037-032) and considered far enough away from any known monument to warrant monitoring.

Works commenced in Lower and Upper John Street, terminating close to the junction with Belvedere Road/Newtown Road/Hill Street, then proceeded to the area around Carrigeen Street. Final investigations were located on Summerhill Road.

None of the openings in the Lower/Upper John’s Street section revealed any features of archaeological interest, although all were contained within previously disturbed trenches of similar projects. This was also the case regarding Carrigeen Street, although

the natural stratum was revealed beneath the modern road build-up. Unfortunately, it appears that the roadworks had stripped down to this natural clay, removing all potential deposits of archaeological potential. Nevertheless, pockets of archaeologically sensitive strata may survive within this area, as well as in not too heavily disturbed areas of Lower/Upper John Street.

On Summerhill Road, a small section of a substantial wall and gully was revealed in a slit-trench. The wall was aligned diagonally across the road, whilst the gully extended straight down it. Interestingly, the wall was built across the gully, filling it. These features are considered to pre-date the construction of St Peter’s College, whilst the stratigraphic sequence demonstrates that the gully is earlier than the wall, although by how much is unknown. The mortar within the wall strongly suggests a construction date within the medieval period. The very presence of a bonding agent in the wall, however, argues against its function being that of a land boundary, which tends to comprise dry walling. If this wall is part of a structure, it is possible that the gully may be part of an associated drainage system.

Site investigations regarding the Ferns section comprised the opening of seven test pits and seven slit-trenches, with two slit-trenches and one test pit on the Ballyvogue/Ferns road, and four test pits and four slit-trenches on the Killoggy Road. A single test pit was opened on a grassed area to the west of the Killoggy Road.

No archaeological features or deposits were identified during monitoring of this scheme. In all openings it was evident that the stripping of the upper strata to construct the modern road surface had removed all previous potential layers to the natural formation. This has been compounded, at certain locations, with further, more modern repair works associated with the existing water main, resulting in thick deposits of modern hardcore.

Regarding the section to the south of Kilmuckridge village, twenty openings were made along the route of the proposed scheme, comprising both slit-trenches and test pits. No features or deposits of archaeological interest were identified in any of these openings. It was apparent that the road had been laid immediately on top of the natural

deposition, with any previous topsoil removed. Later works resulted in a substantial cut for the present water main.

A single recorded monument classified as an urn burial in the RMP (WX028-006) had previously been discovered beside the route, at its southern end. It is probable that this is not an isolated burial and more cremations may be present within this area, some of which, although truncated, may still survive beneath the road surface.

The modern OS maps denoted the remains of a ringfort just to the east of the road near the base of the valley. Close inspection of this feature suggested that it was the remains of a boreen following the natural curvature of the hill and was not of early provenance.

No archaeological features or deposits were identified during the monitoring of this part of the scheme, located to the south of the village of Kilmuckridge.

With regard to the section between Clogh and Gorey, monitoring of the openings confirmed that a lot of this part of the former National Primary Route (N11) has been consistently built up above the surrounding ground surface of the last few decades. Nothing of antiquity was identified in any of the openings.

The final section monitored was between Ballycanew and Ballygarett, two very small hamlets/crossroad junctions to the south of Gorey. All the openings were similar in stratigraphy along this section, with nothing of antiquity revealed. It appears that the original road was constructed by the removal of all upper strata to the natural deposition, then filled with hardcore and finished with a tarmacadam surface. Two further road surfaces have been laid on top of the original within the relatively recent past. Nothing of archaeological interest was identified in any of the openings.

Mary Henry Archaeological Services Ltd, 17 Staunton Row, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary