County: Meath Site name: Abbey Road, Commons, Duleek
Sites and Monuments Record No.: ME027-038---- Licence number: 20E0401
Author: Linda Clarke, Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit Ltd
Site type: Medieval ditch
Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)
ITM: E 704443m, N 768172m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.652880, -6.420061
An archaeological assessment (test trenching) and excavation were carried out
at Abbey Road, Commons, Duleek, Co. Meath on 21 October 2020. A metal detector was also used to scan the topsoil for any finds, under licence 20R0147. Following the testing the excavation of a ditch (C10) was conducted on 16 & 17 December 2020.
A total of 6 trenches were excavated within the site, though testing was not possible in the northern portion of the site due to overhead cables and a thick layer of concrete covering the surface. In general, the sod and topsoil (C1) measured 0.32m in depth and lay above the natural orange clay (C2). The western portion of the site had been covered in a layer of tarmac (C3) which measured 0.1m in thickness and lay above a layer of grey sand (C4). The grey sand measured 0.05m in thickness and lay above a layer of post-medieval clay (C11) which measured 0.16m in thickness and lay above the natural orange clay. A layer of concrete (C7) had also been laid within the eastern portion of the site, which measured 0.2m in thickness. Modern services (C6 & C8) were identified within trench 1 and trench 2.
One archaeological feature, a medieval ditch (C10), was identified within trench 1. The ditch measured c.35m in length, 2m in width and 0.61m in maximum depth and had been filled with a mid-grey silty clay (C9) containing occasional-moderate inclusions of animal bone. Two body sherds of light brown glazed medieval
pottery, 2 base sherds, 1 rim sherd and 1 body sherd of North Leinster cooking ware and 20 body sherds of light green local ware pottery were recovered. Two sherds of 17th/18th-century slipware were also recovered from the upper fill of the ditch which could indicate that the ditch continued in use into the post-medieval period. The ditch is likely to represent a field boundary associated with agricultural activity connected to the Augustinian Abbey located c.70-120m to the east of the site (Augustinian canons ME027-038011).
Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth. A92 DH99.
