2017:203 - Lacken 4, Wexford

The site was identified during monitoring of the construction phase of the N25 New Ross Bypass PPP Scheme in May 2017 (Registration No. E004661). Monitoring followed a series of previous investigations across the scheme and was specified for 13 previously untested areas (UTA).

Lacken 4 was identified as a truncated spread of burnt mound material in UTA-25. It comprised three areas containing evidence for previous human activity. The first and most significant from an archaeological perspective was a large burnt mound made up of 21 deposits ranging from black silty sand and burnt stone to grey silty sand formed by natural sedimentation. The deposits in the burnt mound built up around a possible sweathouse pit, C264, which contained 14 stake-holes. Other features included a channel (C116), probably associated with water management, which contained a stake-hole and was flanked by a further 6 stake-holes, 4 pits (C4, C167, C224 and C298) which contained 7 stake-holes, 2 layers of redeposit (C166 and C170) cut by 27 stake-holes and a postpad (C164). The burnt mound deposits were truncated by the latest feature, a linear pit C109. All these features, except the small pit C4, were recorded within the north-west quadrant of site.

The second area was located between 9m and 20m south-west of the burnt mound, which comprised two groups of features on either side of a modern drainage ditch. The first group comprised of two shallow sub-oval pits (C88 and C139). A layer of redeposited natural (C23), through which 25 stake-holes had been cut was located 6m to the east of the pits.

The third area contained a dry stone-lined sub-square well, with a central circular opening which was recorded at the northern edge of the site, c. 12m north of the burnt mound. It was the location of a pump depicted on the 25-inch map of this part of Co. Wexford dated to 1902.

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