County: Sligo Site name: Grange
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 23E0443
Author: Tamlyn McHugh
Site type: Glass onion bottle
Period/Dating: Post Medieval (AD 1600-AD 1750)
ITM: E 565954m, N 849624m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.394085, -8.524245
The area under archaeological assessment is located at Grange, Co. Sligo. The proposed development entails the construction of a housing scheme and all associated services. The proposed development is in proximity to, and within, the Zone of Archaeological Notification for SL005-035---- Castle unclassified and SL005-033---- Settlement cluster.
Test trenching was undertaken on 26 June 2023. The testing scheme took place on 26-27th June 2023. All trenches were excavated to the top of the natural substrate, under strict archaeological supervision, to determine whether subsurface archaeological material was present. The trenches were excavated using a 13-tonne mechanical excavator equipped with a 2m wide graded bucket .
The site consists of two fields, 1) a large steeply-sloping sub-rectangular field of low grass cover and presently in use as grazing and 2) the southern field also in use for grazing, mature trees to the northwest of the site, whilst containing various concrete yards and cattle holding areas. The southwestern area of the site comprises a recently tarmacked surfaced carpark in use for the church and the school, which are located a short distance to the southwest. The boundaries to the site in the south comprise stone walls, wooden garden fencing and concrete block walls.
A total of 11 test trenches of varying lengths and depths were excavated across the entire proposed development area, which was divided into Field 1 (to the south) and Field 2 (to the north). Test Trenches 1-5 were in Field 1 and Test Trenches 6-11 were in Field 2. The trenches were excavated parallel with one another, mostly in a north-south orientation following the contours of the land and spaced 10m apart. The total area excavated comprised 710m of open test trenches. The subject area had a gently undulating topography. All trenches were excavated to 2m width. All trenches were excavated to the underlying natural substrate which, in most of the trenches, comprised a yellowish-orange boulder clay with moderate decayed limestone and moderate medium-sized stones.
In Test Trench 2 a stone-filled drain an intact 17th-century onion-shaped glass wine bottle was found along with fragments of a second bottle. This drain may be a post-medieval feature and may explain the occurrence of the bottles. There were other signs of disturbance in the general area which included buried material such as modern brick, concrete and plastic.
Cooldrumman Upper, Carney, Co. Sligo
