County: Louth Site name: Marsh Road, Newtown, Drogheda
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 19E0017
Author: Linda Clarke, Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit
Site type: Enclosure
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 710451m, N 775062m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.713537, -6.326765
Test trenching was carried out at Newtown, Drogheda, Co Louth. The site was located in the townland of Newtown, to the south of the River Boyne and Marsh Road, adjacent and west of the Drogheda Waste Water Plant and to the southeast of Drogheda town.
An Archaeological Impact Assessment carried out in May 2018 by ACSU recommended geophysical survey and test trenching of the site at a pre-construction phase. Subsequently, a program of geophysical survey was carried out in January 2019, under licence number 19R0005, and the test trenches were set out to investigate potential archaeological features identified and to assess the site overall; due to the presence of crop, the north and the very east extent of the site was not assessed at this time.
In total 9 test trenches were excavated and confirmed the presence of an enclosure ditch measuring c. 28m in diameter located at the eastern side of the test area on a flat plateau overlooking the River Boyne to the north. The ditch had a width of c. 2m and a depth of c. 1m, and contained inclusions of animal bone, mostly cattle and sheep/goat. The enclosure and features associated with it were subsequently excavated under licence 19E0433 to facilitate road construction.
Field 1 had a scattering of features located in Trenches 5 and 6 in the southern portion of the site. A number of linear features, a post-hole and a cremation pit were exposed in Trench 5, while at the south end of Trench 6 a keyhole-shaped kiln was exposed.
Features identified suggest the site has the potential for more archaeological remains to be uncovered, as suggested by finds recovered from topsoil that included medieval pottery, flint and clay pipes. A total of 25 fragments of clay pipes, including 7 bowls and 18 partial stems, were analysed by Victor Buckley. The finds dated from the 18th to 19th century and were mostly locally manufactured in Drogheda but also included Dutch and English imports, with a decorated stem from Chester possibly made by Alexander Lancton c. 1659.
Preservation by record of features identified was recommended.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
