2013:510 - BURGAGE MORE, Wicklow

The proposed project involved the construction of pedestrian looped walk from Blessington to Russborough utilising existing trails and developing new access ways. The trail passes through a mix of mature woodland, forestry plantation and scrub land and provides access to lakeside views with a number of points of interest including the deserted medieval settlement at Burgage More, a ringwork and sections of an old demesne road leading to the former site of Russellstown house.

Two areas of archaeological potential were identified along the route both situated in Burgage More—these include the deserted settlement (WI05-070) and the ringwork (WI005-048).  The deserted settlement was situated along an existing trail with an established gravel path and required only minimal upgrading work. The area to the north of the ringwork however required the installation of a boardwalk. Monitoring took place on 12 February 2013 and involved the manual removal of topsoil to the north of WI05-048 to accommodate a number of wooden posts. This work was limited to a discreet area measuring approximately 18m by 2m.  To the east of the ringwork an area of ground had also been in-filled on a geo textile base to build up levels to receive the path. Furthermore a number of driven piles were inserted to the north-east of the ringwork to bridge the fosse. Throughout the watching brief no unrecorded finds or features of archaeological significance were noted.