2017:438 - Lands at Balscadden Road, Howth, Dublin

Testing was undertaken in advance of the development of a c. 1.55ha site located in the centre of Howth, Dublin 13.
Test trenching revealed that historic surface levels over more than half the site have been truncated by modern gravel and sand extraction. Trench 3, excavated on the level surface along the southern perimeter of the site, offered several indicators of medieval activity. These included four pits, ranging in diameter from 2m to 0.65m, which all provided evidence of medieval food waste; most notably marine shell, animal and bird bone. Food production is also identified by finds of charcoal and burnt stone, indicators of the fires on which the above animals and birds were cooked. Pottery sherds recovered from the Pits 1 and 4 in Trench 3 include six pieces of late medieval Dublin-type green glazed red earthenware, providing an indicative date for the activity recorded. All the sherds were from wheel-thrown ceramic vessels and four had decoration in the form of horizontal ribbing.
These findings are significant when considering the development of medieval Howth. It is likely the pits containing evidence of food production and waste are contemporary with St Mary’s Church (DU015-029001) and the ‘College of Howth’ (DU015-030) with both buildings dating to the late medieval period. The location of the pits is also significant in that they represent the most easterly recorded example of activity contemporary with the medieval ecclesiastical establishment and may indicate the survival of subsurface medieval settlement in the southern area of the proposed development site.

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