2016:117 - Westgate Street/George's Street/Rowe Street/Mary Street/John's Gate Street/John's Street/Bride Street/King Street/Michael Street, Wexford, Wexford

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Wexford Site name: Westgate Street/George's Street/Rowe Street/Mary Street/John's Gate Street/John's Street/Bride Street/King Street/Michael Street, Wexford

Sites and Monuments Record No.: WX037-032---- Licence number: E004770

Author: David Murphy

Site type: Urban - Testing

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 704512m, N 622258m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.341955, -6.466198

A programme of advance archaeological site investigations has been undertaken in Wexford town in advance of the Wexford Town Watermain Rehabilitation and Gas Distribution Network Project. The site investigations were undertaken under Ministerial Consent (C776) and excavation licence E004770. Ten archaeological slit trenches were excavated in archaeologically sensitive areas such as across the projected line of the medieval town wall and in proximity to historic church and graveyard sites. These works were undertaken in October 2016.

Site investigations along the projected line of the town wall at George’s Street, Rowe Street, Mary Street and Bride Street did not reveal any remains of the wall. No archaeological finds, features or deposits or any evidence of the extra-mural defensive fosse was uncovered within the excavated slit trenches at these locations.

At West Gate Street investigations along the projected line of the town wall and to its immediate west-north-west in the extra-mural zone uncovered the remains of a stone surface of unknown date underlying the modern layers. The surface, which was substantially intact, extended across the full length of the west-north-wes/east-south-east orientated trench and appeared to continue beyond its limits at both ends. It possibly represents the remnants of the street surface which passed through the original Westgate of the town. No trace of the town wall was revealed within the trench. After recording the stone surface was covered with a terram membrane and the trench was backfilled pending a decision between the relevant stakeholders on the appropriate mitigation strategy.

At John’s Gate Street investigations along the projected line of the town wall revealed a man-made modern trench into the underlying natural bedrock. The proposed slit trench at King Street was not excavated as it was withdrawn from the trenching programme. It had been added as a contingency in case other locations proved problematic and alternative route was required.

Site investigations in the vicinity of historical church sites at John Street, John’s Gate Street and Michael Street did not uncover any archaeological finds, features, deposits or any indication of sub-surface features associated with the adjacent historical church sites.

Investigations at King Street in the vicinity of the site of the former medieval parish church of St Doologe (WX037-032012-) uncovered a deposit of dark grey clayey silt which was rich in fragmented oyster shell. Due to its composition, its depth below modern road level (1.1m), its location within the medieval walled town and the fact that archaeological deposits were uncovered during Main Drainage works on King Street approximately 40m south-west of the trench location, this deposit has the potential to represent a layer of medieval activity. There were no datable finds from the layer which was covered with a terram membrane and the slit trench backfilled with no further excavation being carried out within the trench pending a decision by the relevant stakeholders on the appropriate mitigation strategy.

John Cronin & Associates, 3a Westpoint Trade Centre, Ballincollig, Co. Cork