2020:562 - Abbeylands, Waterford

No archaeological remains were exposed during monitoring or testing at this site. The alluvial clays were sterile, covered by made-up ground. No finds of any description were retrieved or, most importantly, no skeletal material was noted in the trench situated in the part of the laneway almost abutting the old graveyard boundary wall of the site of Kilculliheen Priory (WA009-008 & 008001) - “sometimes called the Nunnery De Bello Portu” (Lewis 1837, 77). Cartographic evidence shows the kinked boundary of the graveyard has retained the same boundary line from at least the mid-18th century. The sewer survey of 1898 shows the line of a sewer pipe connecting manholes from the top to the bottom of this lane (Ferry Lane). This fact and the modern insertion of watermains parallel to the older sewer line has effectively churned up the stratigraphy of the laneway, the archaeological testing of which yielded no finds, no traces of skeletons, or indeed any features at all to warrant further testing in the area of the proposed connection to the new pump station. The recommended action was to ensure the preservation of the existing boundary wall of the graveyard, and to preserve the cast iron manhole cover dated 1898 – either by reuse or use elsewhere. Knowing that archaeological material can survive in one area and not another, it was recommended that future works in the vicinity be monitored. In this way risk of inadvertent impact on hitherto unknown buried archaeological material could be mitigated.

Reference:

Lewis, Samuel (1837) A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland.

7 Bayview Tramore X91 X462