2018:927 - Dragoonhill, Wicklow

An early medieval enclosed settlement at Dragoonhill, Co. Wicklow (WI009-036) was excavated in advance of the proposed N81 Knockroe Bend Realignment Scheme. The work was undertaken on behalf of Wicklow County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Excavation at the site followed geophysical survey (Licence No 12R70) and Stage (i) archaeological standard test excavation assessments, undertaken in 2012 (Licence No. 12E353, Excavations bulletin No. 2012:642).
The excavation was focused on a plectrum-shaped enclosure (WI009-036) with a surrounding buffer to the north, east and south sides. However, the excavation evidence indicates prolonged (albeit episodic) activity dating to the early prehistoric, Iron Age, early medieval, late medieval and post-medieval periods
Evidence for early prehistoric activity was recorded at the site in the form of flaked stone artefacts (including convex end scrapers, retouched flakes and edge retouched flakes collected from topsoil deposits and in stratified features of later date), an early/middle Neolithic kiln (dated by radiocarbon to 3657-3345 BC), a Chalcolithic pit associated with 61 sherds of Domestic Beaker pottery and an early Bronze Age ditch (dated by radiocarbon to 2155-1827 BC).
A curvilinear ditch (c. 40m long x 1.7m wide x 0.56m deep) was dated to AD 250 407 (D-AMS 037905; 1726±25 BP) and is interpreted as the surviving portion of an extensive oval enclosure with overall dimensions of c. 199m north-south x 45m which was later re-cut and modified in the early medieval period. This putative Iron Age enclosure enclosed a C-shaped curvilinear slot trench (17.7m x 0.45m x 0.35m deep) which defined an area c. 11m in diameter. The slot trench was dated to AD 344-651 (D-AMS-037894; 1675±23 BP) and interpreted as a possible domestic structure broadly contemporary with and enclosed by the oval enclosure.
The oval enclosure was re-cut in the early medieval period, at first by a 21m long linear ditch located at the east of the site A corroded iron knife fragment was recovered from this ditch. The eastern ditch was then succeeded by the plectrum-shaped enclosure (45m east-west x 39m), with a 3m wide causewayed entrance located to the south-east. The ditch profile varied between U- and V-shaped. F7 had a circumference length of c. 125m and maximum width of 2.55m (top) to 0.55m (base), with a maximum depth of 1.2m. Radiocarbon evidence suggests initial excavation of F7 during the early 8th to mid-late 9th century AD. Numerous internal features (mainly pits) were recorded on the interior of the plectrum-shaped-enclosure, although no definitive evidence for the presence of a structure was recorded. The plectrum-shaped enclosure was re-cut on two occasions in the late medieval period and numerous sherds of late medieval pottery (Dublin-type cooking ware and Dublin-type ware) were retrieved.

Agricultural activity in the form of tillage furrows and silted boundary ditches was present in the interior of the plectrum-shaped enclosure and in the external buffer areas to the north, east and south, in particular to the south where a set of parallel north-north-east/south-south-west orientated cultivation furrows was delimited by curvilinear ditches.
Examination of the drone photography at the end of the main excavation phase revealed that the plectrum-shaped enclosure appeared to be incorporated into a larger oval enclosure, the perimeter of which extended outside the excavation area on the west and south sides. The plectrum-shaped enclosure occupied the northern half of the oval enclosure.

Subsequently, the site was extended to the south under the direction of Liam Coen. This phase of work involved excavating a 48m west-north-west/east-south-east by 14.5m area to the south of the main excavation area. The extension enabled full excavation of the oval enclosure which was detected on drone photography taken towards the end of the main excavation. Also, four parallel ditches were recorded extending southwards from the south-east sector of the oval enclosure at the east-north-east and associated with medieval pottery. A second extension to the excavated area to the south-south-west was therefore proposed, in order to fully excavate these linear ditches within the road corridor.

Finally, additional Stage (i) test excavations were undertaken in order to verify that 2 of these late medieval ditches did not extend south to Rathattin townland. They terminated at the townland boundary.

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