County: Wexford Site name: Corbally 6
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: E004857
Author: Yvonne Whitty, IAC Ltd
Site type: Pits, kilns, burnt mound activity
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 701379m, N 640765m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.508833, -6.506550
Corbally 6 was identified as a result of testing undertaken during the construction phase of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy PPP Scheme. Testing was carried-out in Permanent Fill Area 5 (PFA 5) by IAC Ltd under Registration No. E004781 and Ministerial Direction No. A054 in October 2016. Corbally 6 was identified as four individual areas containing features of archaeological potential. Upon excavation, on 18 April 2017, Area 4 (ITM 701228, 640862) was proven to be non-archaeological and determined to be the result of burrowing activity and root burning related to field clearance.
Three archaeological excavation areas were recorded (Area 1-3). The nearest of these to the medieval enclosure at Corbally 2 & 3 (WX020-117001) was Area 3 which lay 30m to the south. The eastern half of the enclosure is preserved in situ within a construction exclusion zone which was established following recommendations in a desktop assessment report. The archaeological activity recorded at Corbally 6 relates to domestic and industrial activity represented by two kilns and a number of associated pits, post- and stake-holes.
Area 1, located at ITM 701379, 640765 (48.3m OD), comprised four large pits and a burnt spread truncated by modern field drains. Area 2 contained a single kiln, located at ITM 701362, 640896 (49.8m OD). Area 3 was located at ITM 701309, 640964 (45.1m OD) and contained a kiln, 16 pits, 5 post-holes, 3 stake-holes, 2 spreads, a flint scatter, and a hearth. A series of modern land drains crossed Area 1 and Area 3 which appear to relate to modern agricultural activity.
A total of 15 artefacts were recovered during the excavation at Corbally 6. These include a surface scatter of 28 fragments of one flint nodule. The remaining artefacts include six pieces of flint debitage, three struck pieces of quartz, a saddle quern stone and three fragments of quern stones. A sherd of modern pottery was also retrieved from one of the land drains in Area 3.
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