2017:223 - Swords Castle, Dublin

As part of the Swords Castle: Digging History-Fingal Community Excavation Project 2015-17, Season 3 took place over seventeen days between 18 August and 6 September 2017. The focus of the 2017 season was on on answering research questions relating to the internal layout of the eastern perimeter of the precinct, while engaging the community in archaeology.

Four trenches (T7-T10) were excavated. Trench 7 (5m north-south x 4m) was situated towards the north-eastern corner of Swords Castle precinct adjacent to the 19th-century breach in the curtain wall. It was located to determine the effect of that breach. Excavation ceased at c. 1m below present ground level at the level of a flagged floor which was overlain by a series of occupation layers. A silver groat dating from 1569 was recovered from these layers which were then truncated by the construction and use of a kiln.  The kiln had been cleaned out with a basal mortar surface and post-use backfill apparent. The later activity within this trench relates to the steps and a path leading to the doorway that had been inserted into the perimeter wall.

Trench 8 measured 4m x 4m and natural subsoil was identified at a maximum depth of 1.42m. Geophysical survey had identified an amorphous anomaly west of the ‘Link wall’ a 19th-century infill along the line of the eastern curtain wall between the extant Double Gable and the East Tower. The trench was sited to investigate this and to locate the return wall of the ‘Great Hall’. The remains of a substantial east-west wall were uncovered towards the south of Trench 8. Internal to this the subsoil appeared to slope down and was overlain by a serious of burnt layers and heat-affected soil. 

Trench 9 targeted the area immediately west of the East Tower in order to investigate the confluence of the ‘missing’ west wall of the East Tower and the limit of burials identified by Fanning (1975). Burials were uncovered less than 0.1m below the current ground level. Aligned east-west, these burials were in poor condition, many exhibiting evidence of having been crushed. There had been significant disturbance in and around the burials with pits having been dug through them and tree roots from the later orchard planting having become intertwined with the skeletal remains. Fourteen burials extended as far as the newly uncovered west wall of the East Tower indicating that the wall was extant at the time. However almost 0.3m lower than Sk.1-14, the skull of Sk.15 was found, the remainder of the burial apparently truncated by the insertion of the tower wall. It is probable that there are two episodes of burial that pre- and post-date the use of occupation of the castle.

Trench 10 measured 6m north-south x 5.5m and was located over the remains of the medieval tile pavement identified by Fanning in 1971. The overburden was removed onto the plastic that had been put there to cover the remains in 1971. The mortar beds for the tiles were identified.

An important aim of the Swords Castle: Digging History is to engage the wider public with the national monument in their midst. This year saw the participation of almost 100 volunteers including many who have taken part in previous seasons. A post-medieval pottery workshop with Rosanne Meenan added to the training of those on-site while collaboration with artists Fiona Hallinan and Sabina McMahon and Dr Meriel McClatchie resulted in an interpretation of the environmental evidence uncovered on site in the form of food prepared for the volunteers. An over-arching final report encompassing specialist contributions and an analysis of the excavation results in conjunction with the historical and architectural evidence will be produced in due course.

Reference:

Fanning, T. 1975, An Irish Medieval Tile Pavement: Recent Excavations at Swords Castle, County Dublin. In Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland , Vol. 105 (47-82).

Fingal County Council, Swords, Co. Dublin