County: Tipperary Site name: St Patrick's Hospital, Ashwell's-Lot, Cashel
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 19E0350
Author: Bruce Sutton of Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd
Site type: Test-trenching - no archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 607624m, N 640604m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.516757, -7.887671
A programme of archaeological test trenching was undertaken at St Patrick’s Hospital, Cashel, Co. Tipperary, from 18-20 November 2019.
St Patrick’s Hospital is located on the site of the former Cashel Workhouse and the hospital complex incorporates surviving buildings relating to the workhouse. Archaeological investigation in the south-west corner of the site in 2007 resulted in the identification and excavation of 45 burials that appear to relate to the workhouse. The full extent of the cemetery activity associated with the workhouse is not known.
The programme of archaeological testing comprised the excavation of seven trenches with a total linear meterage of 105m. These trenches were excavated within the footprint of the proposed development to assess the potential for subsurface archaeological remains. Constraints on the testing array comprised of the numerous services running under and over ground as well as the access road for the hospital.
No archaeological features or deposits were revealed during the testing. However, evidence of ground levelling, landscaping and a stone wall associated with the construction of St Clare’s Ward was uncovered. The wall is not visible on the 1st edition 6-inch Ordnance Survey map but is marked on the 5 Foot Series map (1884), which suggests a mid to late 19th-century date for construction. Though no further indications of the presence of burials were found during these works, there is still the possibility that isolated burials are yet to be uncovered across the site.
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