2022:877 - CORK: Elizabeth Fort, Cork

Archaeological monitoring was conducted as part  of Public Realm Upgrade Works at Elizabeth Fort (CO074-039001), Cork City, a 17^th-century bastion fort in the ownership of the Local Authority (Cork City Council).

The monitoring uncovered little of archaeological merit, albeit for a small number of structural elements probably relating to internal walls of the former barracks depicted on early 18^th-century mapping. Although this cannot be confirmed due to the limited size of the trenches, the position and orientation of the walls make them a likely candidate for remnants of the barracks. The ‘new barracks’, which is named on the early 18^th-century maps, replaced an earlier complex to the north-west of the site,  and was constructed in 1719 within the courtyard of the fort with the purpose of housing 700 soldiers. At this time, the ramparts were thinned to provide space for the building. When Collins Barracks was opened (1806) to the north of the city, the barracks within Elizabeth Fort were repurposed for a short period as a female penitentiary. Indeed, the buildings within the fort are shown on Thomas Holt’s map of 1832 as a ‘Convict Depot’. By the 1^st ed. OS of 1842, the interior of the fort has been converted to a constabulary barracks, by which time the original courtyard barrack blocks had been demolished, replaced by the L-shaped range of buildings that survive today.

The artefact finds uncovered from the demolition rubble within the courtyard comprised mostly of glazed red earthenware dating to between the late 18^th and early 19^th century. The rubble is probably related to the demolition of the ‘New Barracks’, however caution must be applied as only very limited investigation of the walls could be undertaken due to the limited size of the trenches.

The other series of walls, surface and fireplace uncovered within the former guardroom probably date to between 1832-1842 on the grounds that the current entrance to the fort, with its guard room, formal gateway and guard door, along with the modifications to the north-east demi-bastion and south-east bastion, are first shown on the 1842 map. Thus, these must have been erected shortly before this time.

Nothing else of archaeological significance was uncovered in the course of monitoring. The walls were preserved in situ, albeit for Walls (F2) and (F8) which required removal for the new electricity ducting.