2012:110 - Charles Fort, Forthill, Cork

Monitoring of electrical service trenches took place at Charles Fort, Kinsale, County Cork, a National Monument in State Care (535G). The work involved monitoring the installation of services to partially illuminate the external façade of Charles Fort, which was carried out by the OPW. The works commenced in December 2011 and were completed in January 2012. Service trenches were excavated within the dry, landward moat from the Devil’s Bastion to the Flagstaff Bastion. The electrical connection was brought into the interior of Charles Fort via an existing passage under the main entrance threshold. The ducting surfaced in the entrance passageway and monitoring of a trench was undertaken from this point to the gable of the existing cafeteria in order to connect to the existing mains distribution board. Natural bedrock was very close to the surface within the dry moat and within some sections of the interior.

No in situ archaeological features were found as the soils within the dry landward moat were very shallow and directly overlay shale and the ground within the interior of the fort was very disturbed. Provision of a metal detecting licence allowed an initial survey of each trench line and light base to be carried out prior to any ground works. Subsequently, all of the spoil from the service trenches was subject to a metal detector survey. Artefacts of lead shot and a single musket ball of probable late medieval date were discovered near the Devil’s Bastion and may relate to the 1690 Williamite siege of Charles Fort. A number of post-medieval finds were recovered in the dry landward moat, e.g. 19^th-century military buttons, ceramics, clay pipes, late 19^th/early 20^th-century spent rifle ammunition and small ferrous objects. Two large military buttons bear the crest of the Royal Coat of Arms and a smaller button shows the wheeled cannon of the Royal Artillery. These are both likely to date to the second phase of Royal Artillery occupation at Charles Fort.

Alison McQueen & Associates, Bunglasha, Glencar, Killarney, Co. Kerry