County: Wexford Site name: Brideswell Big, Ballyellis, Gorey
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 16E0514
Author: Thaddeus C Breen & Louise Nugent, Shanarc Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: Testing
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 705266m, N 660603m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.686337, -6.443004
Test excavations were carried out on 2 October 2016 at Brideswell Big, Ballyellis, Gorey, Co. Wexford in accordance with the conditions of Wexford County Council Planning Reg. No. 20160282.
The site was situated in the north-eastern half of a large field that lies immediately east-north-east of a burial ground (WX006-040), and 134m south-east of a holy well (WX006-038001) and associated hut site (WX006-038002). The second half of the field (to the south-west of the development) was later subject to a separate test excavation (17E0427).
A total of 10 test trenches located within the development area, and 4 additional small percolation test pits to the south-west outside of the development area were excavated during testing. The test trenches measured 2m in width, 11.5-45m in length and 0.6-1.5m in depth. The percolation test pits measured 1m in width, 1.5-2.5m in length and 0.4-2m in depth.
A common stratigraphy was found throughout all the trenches and test pits. The earliest deposit in all trenches was a natural mid-grey stony clay, sealed by a subsoil layer of light-brown to orange-brown clay 0.2-0.3m in depth. On occasion this layer contained small flecks of charcoal (10mm x 10mm max), most likely due to past land clearance or stubble burning. This layer was in turn sealed by a mid to dark-brown and moderately silty topsoil, with a depth of 0.3-0.5m. Frequent root material was found in areas close to the existing field boundaries.
No archaeological features or deposits were found in any of the test trenches. Finds consisted of a single animal bone and a single sherd of black lead glazed pottery, both from the south-western end of trench #10.
Unit 35A, Hebron Business Park, Hebron Road, Kilkenny
