2018:561 - Armagh Gaol, Corporation, Armagh, Armagh

The proposed development is within the grounds of Armagh Gaol which is located within the area of archaeological potential associated with Armagh City. Pre-development monitoring took place on 4 July 2018. Initially, two trenches were opened on the east side of the site, each running perpendicular to the perimeter wall. Trench 1, to the east, was 9m in length and 1m in width. Undisturbed natural, a stiff, orange-brown sandy clay, was noted on average 1m below present ground level. This was overlain by a series of archaeological deposits, the lowest of which was a 0.2m deep layer of blue grey sandy clay, from which animal bone fragments were noted. This was overlain by a 0.15m deep layer of orange brown stony clay loam and on top of this a further 0.2m layer of dark orange brown clay loam. 19th- and 20th-century ceramics and glass were recovered from these deposits. The upper 0.4m of the trench fills consisted of ‘modern’ layers associated with the use of the area as a yard, and roadway across the gaol interior.
Trench 2 was located to the south-east. However due to the presence of a standing wall, it was only possible to open a short 1m length. The area chosen for the trench was in a 5m-wide gap between the perimeter wall and an internal wall within the gaol. The ground within the gap was covered with a 0.1m thick layer of concrete, which when broken revealed that the foundations of the internal gaol wall continued sub-surface across the gap. In addition further investigations revealed that a cast iron service pipe, probably electricity, ran along the edge of the exposed foundations, making further excavation impossible. Excavations ceased.

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