County: Meath Site name: Hanson Wood, Dunshaughlin
Sites and Monuments Record No.: ME044-033 Licence number: 17E0502
Author: Dominic Delany
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 696997m, N 752328m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.511976, -6.537579
Pre-development testing was carried out at Hanson Wood, Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath on 17 October 2017. The site is located within the area of archaeological constraint for ME044-033, the historic town of Dunshaughlin including the site of the Early Christian foundation associated with St. Seachnall. The development site is located east of Main Street, approximately 200m south of the Early Christian foundation.
Three test trenches (L 30-45m) were opened, one on the site of two dwellings in the north of the site and two on the site of four dwellings and associated access road in the south-west of the site. A wall foundation (Wth 0.65m; H 1m) and associated brick floor were uncovered within the trench in the north of the site. The wall is built of angular limestone blocks with a mortared rubble core. It appears to be co-extensive with a small building marked on 1836 and 1908-11 Ordnance Survey maps although the cement-like mortar suggests a later date for the structure. An irregular linear feature (L c. 15m) was uncovered on the site of the four houses in the south-west of the site. A section cutting indicated it was 0.6m wide, 0.15m deep and contained a fill of compact, sterile light grey/brown silt. The feature is co-extensive with a property boundary marked on the early Ordnance Survey maps. No archaeological material was found.
Dominic Delany & Associates, Creganna, Oranmore, Co. Galway
