County: Dublin Site name: Trinity Historic Buildings, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 20E0105
Author: Paul Duffy
Site type: Post-medieval urban
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 716115m, N 734096m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.344333, -6.256190
Archaeological monitoring was carried out at the Rubrics Building and the Chief Steward's House, Trinity College Dublin, during investigation works for development on 3 June 2020 and 23 October 2020. The proposed development is within the zone of archaeological potential for the historic town of Dublin (DU018-020419). A number of archaeological investigations have been carried out in the development area.
Two machine-excavated trial holes (TP 1 and TP 2) were opened on the green space immediately to the east of the Rubrics Building. Both trial holes measured 1m long by 0.6m wide and were excavated to a depth of 2m. The ground level immediately to the east of the Rubrics Building rises sharply, to the extent that the trial hole depth of 2m terminated at the ground level of the building. The top fill of the trial pit 1 contained fragments of red brick and sherds of printed 19th-century pottery. Below this, dark sandy clay containing oyster shells and animal bone was identified. Trial pit 2 contained a similar 19th-century fill (Plate 1). The lower fill contained river cobble, red brick fragments and one fragment of North Devon gravel-free ware.
Two further hand-excavated pits were opened in the compound of the Chief Steward’s House. These measured 0.4m by 0.6m by 0.7m deep. These pits contained dark sandy clay with modern inclusions.
A final machine-excavated pit was opened in the cobbles to the west of the Rubrics Building and measured 0.4m by 0.4m by 0.4m deep. Two further slit trenches were opened in the green space to the east of the Rubrics Building on 23 October 2020. Trench one contained a peaty topsoil with red brick and post-medieval inclusions, light brown clay that was filled with red brick and mortar inclusions and beneath this natural ground with a loose gravelly texture. The second trench was heavily disturbed by modern live services but small inclusions of shell and ceramic were found in the garden soil.
No features, structures or deposits of archaeological significance were encountered during the monitoring works. It is likely that the mortar-rich deposit encountered to the east of the Rubrics Building represents a layer related to the construction phase of the building.
c/o IAC Ltd, Unit G1 Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
