2018:720 - WILLIAMSTOWN (Rochford) 1, Westmeath

Archaeological excavation was carried out at Williamstown (Rochford) 1 in advance of the proposed N52 Cloghan to Billistown Phase 2—Turin to Billistown Realignment, Co. Westmeath. The site was identified during Stage(i) archaeological testing of the proposed N52 Turin to Billistown Realignment carried out by Archaeological Management Solutions(AMS) and Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit (ACSU) on behalf of Westmeath County Council between 16 and 31 July 2018 under Excavation Licence No. 18E0375. As part of the Stage (ii) pre-excavation services from 24 September to 1 October 2018, an area measuring 556 m² centred on these features was stripped of topsoil by mechanical excavator, cleaned by a team of archaeologists and planned. Excavation was then carried out on 15 November 2018. The sod and topsoil (C1) measured 0.35m in thickness and lay above the natural orange clay and stone (C2). Two pits (C18 and C19) were exposed. The pit C18 measured 1.22m east–west by 0.6m by 0.16m in depth, had a sharp break of slope and gradually sloped sides to an irregular base. Some orange-coloured oxidised clay at the base of the pit indicated in-situ burning, above which were two fills. The lower fill (C170) was a 0.06m thick deposit of black-coloured clay containing frequent inclusions of charcoal. Above this was a 0.1m thick upper fill (C38) of mid-brown silty clay that contained frequent inclusions of angular stone. Located c. 1.7m to the south-east was a second pit, C19, which measured 1.3m east–west by 1m by 0.21m in depth, had a sharp break of slope and gradually sloping sides to a flat base. It was filled with mid-dark brown silty clay (C171) containing frequent inclusions of charcoal. Based on this analysis, pit C18 at Williamstown (Rochford) 1 most likely represents a charcoal-production pit, while the adjacent pit C19, which lacked evidence for in-situ burning, could represent a first attempt at a charcoal-production pit or a related site, such as for the storage of charcoal while more was being manufactured. Two charcoal samples (species identifications by Dr. Lorna O’Donnell) recovered during the Stage (iii) excavation were sent for radiocarbon dating. Oak charcoal (0.19g) from Sample 50 (C170, primary fill of pit C18) returned a date of 2370±30 BP giving a 2-sigma calibrated date range of 540–388BC Poz-115315). Alder charcoal (0.31g) from Sample 51 (C171, fill of pit C19) returned a date of 2115±30 BP giving a 2-sigma calibrated date range of 341–49BC (Poz-115316). These suggest that the site dates to the Early–Middle Iron Age. Another charcoal-production pit was also identified at Reynella 1c within the same scheme, c. 2.5km to the south-west, but was dated to the early medieval period.