County: Waterford Site name: Butlerstown North
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 22E0890
Author: Donald Murphy
Site type: Burnt spreads
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 656450m, N 610530m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.243599, -7.173399
Archaeological test trenching was carried out at Butlerstown North, Co. Waterford, in December 2022.
The site was subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment that recommended assessment in the form of a geophysical survey and test trenching at a pre-construction phase. The geophysical survey (22R0209) was carried out in June 2022 and while no definite signs of archaeology were identified, anomalies of potential archaeological significance were noted. The report recommended test trenching targeting the anomalies identified.
Early modern ditches representing field boundaries and a drain were identified in Trenches 17 and 18 (C3), Trench 19 (C4), Trench 21 (C5) and Trench 22 (C6 and C7). A number of archaeological features were also identified, comprising a burnt spread (C9) and pit (C8) in Trench 24, a possible pit (C10) in Trench 29, a burnt spread (C11) in Trenches 10, 10a and 10b and a pit (C12) in Trench 23, the latter mostly likely associated with the burnt spread identified in Trench 24. These spreads and pit fills largely consisted of black clay and heat-shattered stone, suggesting the remains of fulacht fia or burnt mounds. Burnt mound C11 appears to measure c.25m in length (north-west/south-east) by 14m in width, while burnt mound C9 measures c. 13m in length (east-west) by 12m.
Further investigations in the form of preservation by record is therefore recommended.
Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth. A92 DH99.
