2023:797 - Moortown and Kilmacredock Upper, Kildare

An archaeological excavation was undertaken within the townlands of Moortown and Kilmacredock Upper, Co. Kildare, following on from previous archaeological testing excavations carried out under the initial iteration of licence 22E0805.

Test trenching in October 2022 revealed one area of archaeological potential, Archaeological Area 1 (AA1) consisting of a truncated burnt spread.

On excavation, the feature comprised a large irregular-shaped spread of heat-affected material, measuring 19.5m by 15m. A series of associated features were also identified, comprising three sub-rectangular troughs, eight pits, and three smaller pits/post-holes. These were all sealed and/or filled by the heat-affected material. No artefacts were recovered from these features. A metal detection survey, carried out under licence 23R0442, was also carried out on the site. However, no metal artefacts were recovered from this survey.

The burnt mound was adjacent to a natural and the stratigraphic succession between two of the troughs suggesting that the last trough was deliberately placed at a remove from the spring in an attempt to site that feature on a drier surface. Charrred and non-charred plant remains from the pits and trough suggest the nature of the local environment. Seeds from birch, knotweed and buttercup suggest a damp local environment. Ash and light-dependent species such as apple subgroup and cherry/blackthorn dominated the small charcoal assemblage, suggesting that the landscape was semi-open although some oak was still present. This type of cleared landscape is often found in the Middle and Late Bronze Age.