County: Kilkenny Site name: Hebron Road, Leggetsrath West
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 23E0701
Author: Maeve McCormick
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 651744m, N 656468m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.656929, -7.235184
Test excavation was undertaken on 22 August 2023 in dry, cloudy, conditions by Maeve McCormick of Archer Heritage under Licence No 23E0701. It was proposed to excavate 8 trenches (c.215 linear metres) by mechanical excavator under archaeological supervision. All of the trenches were excavated with a minor alteration to Trench 5 and major alteration to the longest trench resulting in two smaller trenches (T6 and T7) resulting in a total of 224.9 linear metres.
The site was previously subject to development. A substantial portion is covered by tarmac or concrete (C3, C4 0.15-0.2m). Excavation of trenches T5 and T7 revealed the existence of substantial made ground, probably introduced to level portions of the site (C6 1.05-1.25m). Trenches T3 and T4 were the only ones excavated in grassy areas; however the thin layer of topsoil (C1 0.1-0.25m) suggests that those areas were also heavily altered at some point in the recent past. Natural subsoil, across the site comprised silt and sand with large concentration of round stones, similar to river sands and gravels residing at various depths across the site (0.15-1.4m).
Multiple disused underground services cross the site, especially prominent in the eastern and south-eastern portions. An ESB substation is present on site and a cluster of live underground cables could be detected (CAT scanner) traversing the eastern portion of the site.
Nothing of archaeological significance was recorded during the test excavation.
Archer Heritage Planning, Unit 1, Tenure Business Park, Co Louth A92 K2VF
