2014:158 - Seagrange Road, Baldoyle, Dublin

The excavations at Seagrange Road, Baldoyle Co. Dublin took place on an intermittent basis over two excavation seasons which ran from 26 June to 30 October 2013 (13E0238) and from 16 August to 20 October 2014 (13E0238 ext.). The excavations formed the central component of the Grassroots Archaeology research project funded by the Royal Irish Academy and supported by Fingal County Council. The excavations involved the opening of 10 test trenches within the Seagrange housing estate in Baldoyle Co. Dublin. The investigations targeted monument DU015-018 which consists of a sub-rectangular cropmark, identified from Cambridge series aerial photograph 1970-CUCAP AIG 95-c. A tree-lined enclosure corresponding to this cropmark is visible surrounding what appears to be a farmhouse, farmyard and ancilliary buildings on William Duncan’s 1821 map. The cropmark’s size, shape and situation in the landscape prompted a provisional interpretation that the feature may represent a medieval moated site. A housing estate had been built over this cropmark in 1973. The investigations were therefore limited to targeted trenches in the gardens and green spaces of the estate.
The excavations identified three main phases of archaeological activity:

Phase 1: 9th - 10th century

The earliest phase of activity was encountered in Test Trenches 2 and 9 located at an estimated 5m to the east of the cropmark enclosure. This phase consisted of a probable hearth or furnace within a shallow pit, overlain by a densely packed deposit of small stones (C008). Above these stones, the upper deposit of the pit comprised a clayey silt containing frequent inclusions of cockle shell fragments, and infrequent mussel shell, oyster shell, animal bone and charcoal (C007).
This deposit was cut by a shallow linear gully running north-east/south-west 0.5m wide and 0.4m deep (C003). A 5m length of the gully was excavated occurring predominantly in Test Trench 2 but also in small part, in Test Trenches 1 and 9. The upper fill of this feature was a loose clayey silt (C004) containing abundant cockle shell occurring largely as whole shells, and, in some instances, 2 articulated shells. There was also a frequent occurrence of animal bone including a largely intact equine mandible and bovine clavicle. Caprovine species were also represented. A polished bone pin fragment and two small fragments of iron slag were retrieved from this context. The basal fill, a gritty silt (C005) also contained frequent cockle shell, mostly fragments, and animal bone. This fill yielded two fragments of struck flint, a small iron pin fragment and a lignite/cannel coal finger ring fragment. A charred seed of common orache from this fill produced a date of 858- 983 cal. AD (UBA-24110).

Phase 2: 12th - 14th century

Phase two of activity related to 13th-century activity that is thought to relate to the rectangular cropmark enclosure. A total of 29 locally produced 12th – 14th-century pottery sherds were retrieved from several disturbed deposits from across the project area including Leinster Cooking Ware, Dublin-type ware and Dublin-type fineware. The majority of this material came from two trenches (Test Trench 6 and Test Trench 8) that were opened in a garden located within the area enclosed by the cropmark. Although no structural features were encountered in this area, a 13th-century plough pebble was retrieved from the lower horizon of the topsoil. Directly below this, an undisturbed occupation deposit (C039) was encountered. Six corroded iron objects were retrieved from this context. X-ray analysis has shown these to be square-headed nails and nail fragments. A charred barley seed retrieved from this context produced a date of 1274- 1309 cal. AD (UBA-28901). An area of metalling was encountered in Trench 7, an estimated 5m south of the southern side of the enclosure. This seems to coincide with a break in the southern line of the enclosing element which is evident on the Cambridge aerial photo. The metalling has the potential to represent a pathway leading towards a potential entrance to the enclosure. No datable artefacts or ecofacts were retrieved from this deposit.

Phase 3: 17th - 18th century

A total of 193 post-medieval ceramic sherds were recovered from deposits across the site, largely from topsoil. Although the majority dated to the 18th - 20th century, several 17th-century sherds were also retrieved. An intact occupation deposit was excavated within the enclosure (C036) and dated to the 18th century. Ceramic building material was also encountered from both stratified and unstratified contexts in the trenches within the enclosure. This material included a number of 17th-18th-century roof tile fragments including a partially glazed, North-Devon gravel temper-ware ridge-tile fragment. Several undiagnostic hand-built red brick fragments were recovered, dating most likely to the 18th century.
Evidence for industrial activity was also recovered across the site. Five fragments of cullet glass and a fragment of crown glass were retrieved from unstratified contexts in three of the trenches. Analysis has identified these pieces as waste from glassmaking, dating, in all probability, to the 18th century.
Ironworking, likely relating to a small forge, was also recovered from stratified and unstratified contexts across the site. This material included iron slag and a fragment of a ceramic tuyère from a coal-fired furnace of probable 17th-18th-century date.
A portion of a field boundary open until at least the 1840s was also excavated and 18th-century ceramics and a copper-alloy button were recovered from the lower fills.

Phase 4: 19th – 20th century

A series of field drains were encountered across the site. These drains contained earthenware ‘sole-tile’ drains overlain with loose stones. This type of drain was in use from the mid-19th century. These drains represent a land improvement programme undertaken post-1821 and pre-1843. This programme presumably resulted in the levelling of the structures and enclosure visible on the 1821 map and the conversion of the entire area into well-drained cultivatable land.

Unstratified prehistoric material

Further to the above-phased activity, a selection of c. 30 chipped stone fragments were also recovered from across the site.

Grassroots Archaeology, 15 Vartry Heights, Roundwood, Co. Wicklow