County: Kildare Site name: Tipper West, Naas
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 21E0640
Author: Linda Clarke, Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit Ltd
Site type: Bronze Age - burnt stone spread
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 690550m, N 718750m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.211449, -6.644359
Archaeological testing and excavation were carried out at a site at Tipper West, Blessington Road, Naas, Co. Kildare. Testing was previously carried out in the northern part of the site in July 2015 under licence 15E0309. That test trenching identified the presence of a burnt spread (CH-3) within the south-eastern part of the area that was assessed. The spread was recorded as measuring 9.4m east to west by 9.5m.
A total of 11 test trenches were excavated during the current phase of works. Each trench measured 1.8m in width, and in total, 1675m of linear trenches were excavated. The test trenches were excavated to a depth of between 0.27-0.59m onto the natural subsoil. The topsoil consisted of a grey/brown sandy clay and together with the sod had a combined depth of between 0.21-0.41m overlying the natural subsoil which varied from a mid/light brown to pale grey silty clay. A natural subsoil identified as alluvial activity represented by yellow sand was exposed in some of the test trenches. Linear features representing drains, field boundaries and cultivation furrows were identified and were found to be of agricultural origin. Two parallel drains were exposed in Trenches 1-4. These drains corresponded with a north to south aligned field boundary depicted on the 1836 OS map which has since been removed. No features of archaeological significance were exposed within the excavated test trenches.
An area measuring 20m by 20m was stripped of topsoil at the location of the burnt stone spread which was previously identified during testing in 2015 as CH 3 (ITM 690689, 718954). The burnt stone spread was fully exposed and was recorded as C3 during the current phase of works. The burnt stone spread C3 measured 12m east to west by 16m and was up to 0.21m deep. It was found to occupy a natural depression. The feature was fully excavated and no additional features were identified. A sample retrieved from the burnt stone spread C3 was selected for radiocarbon dating. Prunus/blackthorn-cherry charcoal (0.11g) from Sample 4 (recovered from C3) returned a date of 3520 +/- 40BP giving a 2-sigma calibrated date range of 1960-1700 BC (14C-6296), placing the feature in the Early Bronze Age.
