2018:217 - No. 7 Westgate, Wexford, Wexford

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Wexford Site name: No. 7 Westgate, Wexford

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 18E0644

Author: Seán Shanahan. Shanarc Archaeology Ltd.

Site type: Urban medieval

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 704484m, N 622254m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.341924, -6.466610

The site is located within the Zone of Archaeological Potential for Wexford Town, and is situated c. 10m outside the western limits of the historic town walls c. 15m south-west of the location of the original West Gate, and c. 10m north-west of the surviving Selskar Gate (now renamed West Gate) and the grounds of Selskar Abbey.

A Total of 7 test trenches were monitored in accordance with Condition No.2 of Wexford County Council Planning reg. No. 20181066, which related to the proposed extension of a single storey dwelling at the site.

Excavations took place at the rear of the dwelling, which consisted of built up ground significantly higher than the grounds of the two neighbouring properties. Excavations showed the site to be covered by a uniform layer of dark brown silty clay with a depth of up to 1m, overlying a pale yellow-grey clay.

Archaeological features and deposits were found at the base of all 7 trenches. These consisted of a series of linear features and possible pits. A number of the linear features are likely to be post-medieval drains, though it is likely that some of the larger linear features and pits, particularly in Trenches 4 and 5, are of medieval date.

A total of 202 finds were recovered during the course of testing. With the exception of a small minority of finds, recovered either on the surface around the site or within the overburden layer, most finds recovered were from the base of the overburden layer and directly on the archaeological layer at the base of the trenches. A small number of finds could be directly identified within the contexts of archaeological features in Trenches 2-7.

Finds consisted primarily of pottery, the majority of which was reviewed and provisionally dated to the 13th century. There were also 16 flint finds, including a flint blade, a number of possible scrapers and flint debitage. These were principally recovered from Trench 4, with a small number recovered from Trenches 6 and 7.

The site will be subject to further monitoring and excavation.

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