Archaeological Excavation Report E0473 - Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford, Ireland - EAP Journal

Eachtra Journal

Issue 4 [ISSN 2009-2237]

Archaeological Excavation Report
E0473 - Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford

Burnt Mound

Final Excavation Report,,
N25 Harristown to Rathsillagh Realignment,
Ballyvergin,
Co. Wexford

December 2009

Client: Wexford County Council,
c/o Tramore House Road Design Office,
Tramore,
Co. Wexford

Licence No.: 00E0473
Licensee: Daniel Noonan
Written by: Daniel Noonan & Penny Johnston

Contact details:
The Forge,
Innishannon, Co. Cork.
Tel.: 021 470 16 16
Fax: 021 470 16 28
E-mail: info@eachtra.ie
Web Site: www.eachtra.ie

00E0473 Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford ISSUE 4: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237

Table of Contents

i Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ iv
1 Summary ............................................................................................................1
2 Introduction .......................................................................................................1
3 Description of Development ...............................................................................1
4 Background to the excavation area......................................................................1
5 Archaeological & Historical Background............................................................2
5.1 Mesolithic 7000-4000 BC............................................................................2
5.2 Neolithic 4000-2500 BC ..............................................................................2
5.3 Bronze Age 2500-500 BC.............................................................................3
5.4 Iron Age 500 BC-500 AD ............................................................................3
5.5 Early Medieval 500 AD-1169 AD ................................................................4
5.6 Later Medieval 1169 AD-1600 AD...............................................................4
5.7 Post-Medieval (after 1600 AD) .....................................................................5

6 Site location and topography...............................................................................5
7 Results ................................................................................................................5
7.1 Trough and associated deposits and pits........................................................6
7.2 Hearth and stakeholes ..................................................................................6
7.3 Pits ...............................................................................................................6
7.4 Ditches .........................................................................................................7

8 Artefacts .............................................................................................................8
9 Environmental Remains .....................................................................................8
10 Discussion ..........................................................................................................9
11 Summary ........................................................................................................... 10
12 Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 11
13 Figures ............................................................................................................... 13
14 Plates ................................................................................................................. 19
15 Appendices ........................................................................................................ 22
15.1 Appendix 1 Context Register......................................................................22
15.2 Appendix 2: Stratigraphic Matrix ................................................................31
15.3 Appendix 3 Radiocarbon Results.................................................................32
15.4 Appendix 4 Charcoal Assessment ................................................................33
15.5 Appendix 5 Archaeobotanical Assessment ...................................................34

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List of Figures
Figure 1: Discovery map showing the route of the N25 Rathsillagh-Harristown road
Figure 2: Ordnance Survey 1st edition showing the route of the N25 Rathsillagh-Har-
ristown road
Figure 3: RMP (Sheet 36) showing the route of the N25 Rathsillagh-Harristown road
Figure 4: Route of new road with all excavated sites displayed
Figure 5: Post-excavation plan of the excavated area at Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford
(00E0473) showing the pits, possible furnace and the later ditches truncating
the archaeological contexts
Figure 6: Post-excavation plan of the site at Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford, with the Early-
Middle Bronze Age features accentuated
List of Plates
Plate 1: Working shot of site under excavation with view of surrounding landscape
Plate 2: Cut of Pit C.112
Plate 3: Stakeholes around area of hearth C.37
Plate 4: Pit C.4
Plate 5: Deposit C.90 containing a large amount of heat shattered stone

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i Acknowledgements
Project Manager: Michael Tierney
Licensee: Daniel Noonan
Field Staff: Margôt Ryan, Tom Jaynes, Karen Ward, Carol Power, Ronan O’ Donoghue
Photography: Brian MacDomhnaill
Illustrations: Stuart Elder, John Lehane, Bernice Kelly, Brian MacDomhnaill,
Enda O’ Mahony, Robin Turk
Text: Daniel Noonan, Margôt Ryan, Antonia Doolan, Penny Johnston, Stuart
Elder
This project was entirely funded by Wexford County Council, under the National Development
Plan.

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1 Summary
County Wexford
Townland Ballyvergin
Parish Kilgarvan
Civil Parish Kilgarvan
Barony Shelmaliere West
National Grid Co-ordinates 287948 123877
Chainage 3050
Site Type Burnt Mound
Excavation Licence Number 00E0473

2 Introduction

The Rathsillagh to Harristown Little N25 realignment scheme in Co. Wexford has resulted in the
discovery of several archaeological sites. The site at Ballyvergin (excavation licence number 00E0473)
comprised one hearth, two ditches, twenty-five stakeholes and a number of pits, some of which may
have acted as troughs. It was located close to a stream and heat-shattered stones and charcoal were
found in several of the deposits. The site has therefore been interpreted as a burnt mound, although
the identification of troughs is tentative. The area of excavation was truncated by later (modern) field
ditches.

3 Description of Development

The N25 is the main southern east to west route, traversing the counties of Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny
and Wexford. It links the port of Rosslare Harbour with Cork City, via New Ross, Waterford City,
Dungarvan and Youghal. A section of the N25 route between the townlands of Rathsillagh and Har-
ristown Little was selected for upgrading, as the old road comprised a single carriageway in either
direction, with several ‘blind’ junctions, and in many cases only a hedge separating farmland from
the road. The new route sought to straighten and level out the N25 and to provide a wider single car-
riageway with hard shoulder in either direction, in keeping with the Barntown scheme completed in
1998 (Fig. 1).

4 Background to the excavation area

The 8.5 km route of the new road crosses a series of low, undulating hills, to the south of the old N25
route, and is situated at a height of between 45 m and 80m above sea level. The landscape here is
characterised by small hills, interspersed with many small streams; these eventually flow into the River
Corock to the southwest, into the Slaney to the northwest, as well as feeding into Ballyteige Bay to
the south. From its western beginning in Rathsillagh townland the routeway climbs gently, running
parallel and to the south of the old N25. It then continues through Assagart, Ballyvergin, Shanowle,
Camaross, Carrowreagh, Dungeer, Bricketstown and through into Harristown Little, eventually exit-
ing in Harristown Big townland and tying into the Barntown improvement which opened in 1998.

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The higher ground was lush pasture, well drained, and gave spectacular views all around. Sites on this
part of the route included prehistoric settlement activity and a series of medieval/post-medieval kilns.
Conversely, the lower ground in Camaross, Carrowreagh and Dungeer was quite marshy and prone to
growth of gorse. Sites traditionally associated with low-lying ground were found in these townlands,
for example a burnt mound at Dungeer and a moated site at Carrowreagh.

5 Archaeological & Historical Background

There are thirteen recorded archaeological monument sites within 1 km either side of the development;
one is a church and graveyard site, nine are listed as enclosure sites of between 30 m and 60 m in di-
ameter and three are moated sites (two of which are destroyed). The ecclesiastical site apparently dates
to the medieval period as there is a fragment of a medieval grave cover in the graveyard and the site
was originally surrounded by a circular bank (Moore 1996, 129). The enclosures most likely represent
the raths and ringforts of the early medieval period (Moore 1996, 28). Prior to these excavations, the
known archaeological remains in the locality were all medieval and post-medieval but several prehis-
toric sites were identified during the course of this programme of excavation along the N25 route-way,
including Neolithic material at Harristown Big, Bronze Age sites at Dungeer, Ballyvergin and Har-
ristown Big and Iron Age activity at two sites in Bricketstown.

5.1 Mesolithic 7000-4000 BC
The earliest known human occupation of Ireland dates to the Mesolithic period (c. 7000-4000 BC).
Lithic scatters from the period have been found along the banks of the Barrow river in counties Wex-
ford and Waterford (Green and Zvelebil 1990). Some diagnostic Mesolithic stone artefacts were also
found in Camolin, in north Wexford, and along the eastern coastline between Carnsore and Kilm-
ichael point (Stout 1987, 3). However, most activity is identified in resource-rich locations by riversides
and coastlines and there is no known evidence for Mesolithic activity within the area affected by the
road-take.

5.2 Neolithic 4000-2500 BC
There is piecemeal evidence for Neolithic occupation in County Wexford. Stout’s (1987) distribution
map of Neolithic remains includes evidence for one single burial site, fifteen find spots for flint and
stone atefacts, two portal tombs and seven other possible megalithic tombs. Work on the Archaeologi-
cal Survey of Ireland reduced the number of other possible megaliths from seven to five (Moore 1996).
Subsequent excavation work has increased the extent of knowledge concerning Neolithic settlement in
the county. Early Neolithic pottery was found by McLoughlin (2004) at Kerlogue (02E0606) and at a
pit and a hearth excavated under licence 00E0630 at Courtlands East (Purcell 2002). Later Neolithic
activity in the county is indicated by Sandhills ware, discovered during an excavation (02E0434) in a
pit at St. Vogues (Purcell 2004). An undated excavation at MacMurroughs (1985:59) also uncovered a
number of flints and a ground stone axe, associated with a hearth and pit may also be Neolithic in date
(Cotter 1986). Some evidence for Neolithic activity was found as part of this project at Harristown
Big (00E0424) where Neolithic pottery was discovered at a site where various pits and stakeholes were



excavated. Early Neolithic and possible Middle Neolithic wares were found.

5.3 Bronze Age 2500-500 BC
Some of the earliest Bronze Age finds from Co. Wexford are three chance finds of Beaker gold discs
(only one with a provenance). Other Bronze Age metal finds from the county includes hoards of both
Early and Late Bronze Age artefacts, e.g. at Cahore Point, a cave at Nash, Ballyvadden, Enniscorthy,
Forth Commons and New Ross (Stout 1987, 9-10, 22). At Ballyvadden the Late Bronze Age metal ob-
jects were found within a ceramic container, a unique feature in Irish hoards, but apparently common
on the continent during the period (Stout 1987, 22).

Burnt mounds are the most common Bronze Age site-types found in Ireland and sixty-three such sites
were identified in the Archaeological Inventory for the county (Moore 1996) and since the survey work
several have been excavated in the county; examples were found at Strandfield (McCarthy 2004) and
along the routes of the N30 (Enniscorthy to Clonroche) and the N11 (Arklow to Gorey) roads (www.
nra.ie). Only one burnt mound was excavated during works on the Rathsillagh-Harristown realign-
ment of the N25; this was found at Dungeer 00E0474.

Much of our evidence for Bronze Age activity in Wexford to date has come from burials. There is a
recognised concentration of cist-type burials in Co. Wexford; these are commonly thought to date to
the Early Bronze Age. Stout (1987) identified more than thirty-seven identified but many were not
well documented and Moore (1996) could only pinpoint the locations of only twenty-five cist and
pit burials in total. Several other burials with diagnostic Bronze Age pottery have since been found
during excavation: there was a cordoned urn burial at Ballintubbrid, vase urn burials at Coolnaboy,
Gorey Corporation Lands and Kilmurry, a cist with a tripartite bowl at Knockbrack and a ring ditch
with cremation burials at Ferns Lower (Bennett 2004-5). Another ring-ditch was found at Kerlogue
Sites 4 and 5 and a large round house excavated at Kerlogue Site 2 was probably also of Bronze Age
date (McLoughlin 2004). The excavations from the Rathsillagh-Harristown road scheme included this
Early-Middle Bronze Age site at Ballyvergin where hot-stone technology was used, a metalworking site
at Harristown Big (00E0425) where a series of Late Bronze Age metalworking pits and crucibles were
found, and the Late Bronze Age burnt mound site at Dungeer (00E0474).

5.4 Iron Age 500 BC-500 AD
In common with much of Ireland there is very little evidence for Iron Age activity in Co. Wexford.
Hillforts and promontory forts have possible construction dates in the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron
Age and there are two hillforts and five promontory forts in the county (Moore 1996). The artefactual
evidence for this period in Wexford includes two pins that are of probable Iron Age date and two pos-
sible Iron Age stone heads recovered from Duncormick (Stout 1987, 29-30). Two of the sites excavated
along the route of the Rathsillagh-Harristown road produced Iron Age radiocarbon dates, both were
from Bricketstown and one was a small cremation cemetery (00E0623), the second was a small hearth
(00E0624).



5.5 Early Medieval 500 AD-1169 AD
The beginnings of Christianity are evident in the remains of seventeen early ecclesiastical sites in Co.
Wexford (Moore 1996). One of the earliest excavated examples from Co. Wexford was at St. Vogues,
at Carnsore, where a wooden church preceded a stone building (O’Kelly 1975). One of the closest
known early church sites to the roadtake is located approximately 3 km to the south at the church of
Poulmarl/Taghmon, the monastery founded by St. Munna in the seventh century. The list of abbots
from this site continues to the end of the tenth century and there is a record of a Viking raid in 917 AD
(Moore 1996, 160). By this time the Norse town of Weisford, later to become Wexford, was already
established, having been established by the end of the ninth century (Colfer 1990-91).

Evidence for settlement in the county during the early medieval period comes from ringforts, typical
monuments of the period. These were circular or subcircular enclosures made from earthen banks that
surrounded areas roughly between 25 and 40 metres in diameter. Excavated examples have demon-
strated that they generally surrounded single farmstead-type settlement sites. One hundred and fifty-
three examples are known from the county (Moore 1996). Of these only two were located within close
proximity to the area of the new Rathsillagh-Harristown road (at Haystown, c. 3 km to the north of
the new road and at Cullenstown c. 2 km to the south). There are also numerous circular enclosure sites
that probably represent ringforts; thirteen of them appear on the RMP Sheet 36 (covering the area of
the new road-take) for Co. Wexford.

5.6 Later Medieval 1169 AD-1600 AD
The Anglo-Normans first landed in Ireland in Co. Wexford in 1169. The county was within their initial
land-grab zone between AD 1169 and AD 1190 (Mitchell & Ryan 1997, 305) and was sub-infeudated
in the early stages of Anglo-Norman activity in Ireland (Colfer 1987). Wexford county was one of the
first twelve counties created by the English Kings in the 12th to 13th centuries, from the original Prov-
inces and lesser Territories of the Irish Tuatha (Howarth 1911, 161). By the thirteenth century much of
the area covered by the Rathsillagh-Harristown road-take was a frontier zone and the archaeological
landscape of these areas is characterised by moated sites: there are ten known sites on RMP Sheet 36
for Co. Wexford, the area covered by the new road, and one moated site at Carrowreagh was found
along the line of the new road. Moated sites were distributed at the peripheries of the colonial organi-
sation centres and probably represent an attempt at secondary colonisation (O’Keeffe 2000, 73-75).
There are almost 130 moated sites known in County Wexford (Moore 1996, 95). However, by the end
of the fourteenth century, much of the Anglo-Norman settlement in Co. Wexford had retreated to a
southeastern stronghold in the baronies of Forth and Bargy, a pattern that Colfer (1987) suggests was
reminiscent of the “Pale of county Wexford”. Excavations of medieval sites in the county include the
remains of a medieval house were excavated at Ballyanne (Moran 2000), with pottery indicative of oc-
cupation in the 12th to 14th centuries, and excavations at Ferns, Hook Head, Newtown, Tintern, Tagh-
mon, New Ross and Wexford town all produced medieval archaeological remains (Bennett 2004-5).
Along the route of the Rathsillagh-Harristown road the moated site at Carrowreagh (excavated under
licence no. 00E0476) was the largest medieval site excavated. A spread of medieval occupation material
was also excavated at Bricketwtown (00E0476) and this was rich in the remains of medieval pottery.



It is also possible that the limekilns at Bricketstown (00E0476) and Harristown Little (00E0417) were
in use at the very end of the medieval period.

5.7 Post-Medieval (after 1600 AD)
A few excavations of post-medieval archaeological sites have been carried out in Wexford county, in-
cluding Brideswell Big, Duncannon Fort, and excavations in Wexford and Ennisorthy town (Bennett
2004-5). Some of the excavations from the Rathsillagh to Harristown road scheme were probably used
during this time, in particular the limekilns at Bricketstown (00E0476, 00E0626) and Harristown
Little (00E0417) were probably in use at this period. There is Jacobean house site in Dungeer, one of
the townlands affected by the roadtake. References to the house/castle date to the early seventeenth
century (Moore 1996).

6 Site location and topography

The site excavated under licence number 00E0473 was located 15 km west of Wexford city and 4.2
km northwest of Taghmon town, just southeast of the junction of the L128 and the old N25 roads.
The archaeological contexts were located on a flat and level site at the base of slope to the west with a
more substantial hill to the east (Plate A). It was approximately 10 m west of a small stream which is
a tributary of the Corock River. The site was generally well drained but did have a slight tendency to
flood to the extreme east and north during heavy rainfall.

The surrounding archaeological landscape of the site consists of three enclosures recorded in the Ar-
chaeological Inventory of County Wexford (Moore 1996, 253) which are located within one kilometre of
the site. These are a polygonal enclosure in Camaross (OS 36:5:3), 750 m northeast; an enclosure in
Assagart (OS 36:5:2) 750 m to the northwest and an enclosure in Ballyvergin (OS 35:1:5) which is 900
m north of the site. On the new route of the N25, a farmhouse and limekiln (recorded under monitor-
ing licence number 00E0379) is located less than 100 m to the west. The nearest archaeological site
excavated on the re-routed N25 is located 1.3 km to the southeast, this is a moated site excavated under
excavation licence number 00E0471.

7 Results

The archaeology uncovered and excavated under licence number 00E0473 consisted of seven pits,
some perhaps used as troughs, one hearth, two ditches and twenty-five stakeholes (Fig. 5). Most of
the pits contained waste material that appeared to be associated with metalworking (although there
was no slag or hammer scale in the samples) and these deposits identified during excavation may have
been natural ores and/or manganese deposits. A full context register is included in Appendix 1 and a
stratigraphic matrix is incorporated into this report in Appendix 2.

There archaeological activity at the site was represented by a large sub-rectangular pit with some as-
sociated spreads, a nearby hearth and stakeholes. There were also several pits and much of this activity
was cut by two linear ditches that crossed the site and possibly acted as a boundary or enclosure in the
relatively recent past.



7.1 Trough and associated deposits and pits

The earliest phase consisted of a large pit (C.112) and four spreads. C.112 (Plate 1) was the cut of a
large sub-rectangular pit that was 2.4 m long, 1.98 m wide and 0.77 m in depth. In size and shape this
pit resembled troughs from burnt mound sites although it was not permanently filled by water. It had
four fills (C.107, C.108, C.110 and C.113). The fills of the pit ranged in depth from 0.13 m to 0.6 m.
Although they differed greatly in colour and texture, most deposits contained small amounts of char-
coal and some also contained inclusions of manganese. One stakehole, C.115, (c. 0.2 m in diameter
and 0.25 m deep) was associated with the pit, located at its north-western end. There is evidence that
the pit was re-used as a shallow re-cut was found; C.41 measured 1.36 m long, 0.98 m wide and it was
0.2 m deep. The re-cut was subsequently filled with more waste-like material (C.40) that contained
many heat-shattered stones. The fills of both the original pit and the re-cut were later truncated by a
pit (C.91) and a ditch (C.88).

Immediately adjacent to the pit, at its southeastern end, there were two spreads (C.97 and C.98) with
average dimensions of 1.1 m by 0.67 m by 0.07 m in depth. They contained charcoal, burnt stone and
manganese and were similar to some of the fills within the pit.

To the south of the pit C.112 there were four spreads of waste material (C.96, C.104, C.106 and C.111)
that were similar in nature to burnt mound material; they were predominantly black in colour (but
also varied between grey and brown) and contained frequent inclusions of fire-shattered stone and
charcoal. They measured on average 1.7 m in length, 0.6 m in width and 0.15 m in depth. They were
probably deposits associated with the use of hot-stone technology at the site (see Ó Néill 2003-4).

7.2 Hearth and stakeholes
A hearth (C.37) and several stakeholes (Plate 3) located immediately to the west of the possible trough
were probably associated with its use. The hearth (C.37) was 1.7 m long and measured 0.74 m wide at
its base. The upper fills of (C.5 and C.21) had an average depth of 0.1 m and both were charcoal-rich
deposits. The underlying context (C.37) consisted of oxidised natural. The hearth was closely associat-
ed with 23 stakeholes (C.14, C.15, C.17, C.19, C.20, C.24, C.29, C.31, C.33, C.36, C.49, C.51, C.53,
C.55, C.57, C.65, C.67, C.69, C.71, C.73, C.75, C.77 and C.79) that were of similar morphology
(average diameter 0.12 m and average depth 0.14 m) and contained the same types of fills, suggesting
that they were more-or-less contemporary. A small number of these stakes (C.15, C.17 and C.36) were
burnt in situ, being charcoal filled or containing charcoal plugs. The large number of stakeholes to the
northeast and southwest of the hearth and the presence of stakeholes within the hearth suggests that
there may have been a spit or a similar overhanging feature suspended by the fire. The hearth may have
been used to prepare stones that were used to heat water in the trough (C.112).

7.3 Pits
A large, truncated pit (C.2) and several smaller pits were also discovered at the site.
The large pit C.2 was truncated by a later feature (C.4) to the north and by the ditch C.94/95. The
remaining shape in plan was sub-rectangular and it measured 1.86 m in length by 1.0 m in width with
a depth of 0.26 m. It contained four separate fills (C.10, C.25, C.26, and C.27). These deposits all



contained material that resembled slag, charcoal flecks, and some had residues of ash. One of the fills
(C.10) produced diffuse-porous wood charcoal that returned an Early-Middle Bronze Age radiocar-
bon date of cal BC 1650-1420 (Beta 219133; see Appendix 3). The basal layer C.27, was the thickest
at 0.15 m in depth. It was a firm clay that was possibly a special lining for the pit. The three remaining
fills (average depth 0.05 m) appeared to be heat-affected and in situ; this suggested that the pit was
used for heating material. The fact that the deposits overlay each other suggests that it was not cleaned
out after each use.
To the north there was a pit (C.44) that was rectangular in plan with smooth sides that varied from
vertical to steeply sloping and it measured 1.1 m in length, 0.79 m wide and had a maximum depth of
0.15 m. The main fills (C.58, C.62 and C.63) were on average 0.05 m deep and contained burnt stone,
manganese, slag-like deposits and charcoal. The uppermost deposit (C.39) apparently represented nat-
ural silting, suggesting that the pit was not entirely back-filled prior to disuse. C.45 (a stakehole meas-
uring 0.2 m in diameter and 0.1 m in depth) was found immediately north of the pit and it may have
been associated with its use. Given its steep sides and its proximity to the large pit C.2, it is possible
that this cut was originally a cooling pit for heated material that was produced within the larger pit.
Pit (C.101) was possibly also associated with the pit C.2. It was sub-circular in plan and measured 1.68
m long, was 1.56 m wide and 0.5 m deep, but it was heavily truncated by a later ditch (C.88/C.93). It
was filled with C.92 (a stony, charcoal flecked deposit).
A single truncated pit (C.12) may be contemporaneous. It is difficult to describe as the pit was trun-
cated by machine and by a later pit, C.4 (Plate 2). The remaining cut was irregular in shape and meas-
ured 0.26 m long, by 0.15 m wide and 0.32 m deep. It was filled by a brown sandy silt (C.11) that may
have accumulated naturally.
Two pits (C.4 and C.91) were stratigraphically later than the others excavated at the site as they trun-
cated earlier features. The pit C.4 was 2.4 m long, 1.2 m wide and was 0.3 m deep. It contained one
homogenous fill (C.3). It truncated the large pit C.2 and another pit C.12. The other pit (C.91) was
truncated by a ditch (C.88/C.93) so its true extent is unknown; the surviving remains measured 0.83
m in length, 0.6 m in width and 0.28 m in depth. This pit was filled by C.90, a light grey, stone-rich
deposit (Plate B). It truncated the pit C.112. The deposits within both pits differed in texture but had
similar inclusions of charcoal and ash. This suggests that they were backfilled with heat-affected mate-
rial that included waste from the activities carried out at the site. The stratigraphy of these cut features
indicates that they post-dated the possible trough C.112 and pre-dated at least one of the ditches that
traversed the site.
7.4 Ditches

The latest (most recent) phase of activity at the site was the excavation of two roughly parallel, wide,
shallow, curvilinear ditches (C.88/93 and C.94/95).

The inner ditch (C.88/C.93) was approximately 8.5 m long (where excavated) and from 1.1-1.2 m wide
and c.0.4 m deep. It was filled by C.87 and C.13, fills that varied from brown to greyish brown and
from silts to clays; it appears that the ditch was in-filled gradually and naturally.

The excavated part of the outer ditch (C.94/C.95) was 5.4 m long, c.1.6 m wide and 0.3 m deep. It



was particularly shallow and wide in places and was probably heavily truncated. It was filled by seven
deposits: C.46, C.34, C.42, C.59, C.60, C.61, and C.86. All of the fills were brown silts or clays and
the majority appear to have accumulated naturally although there were some burnt stone inclusions
towards the south. These may have been the results of disturbance to earlier archaeological features
when the ditch was dug, suggesting that the excavation results only hint at the extent of archaeological
activity in the area.

These ditches were roughly parallel and were orientated from northwest to southeast (for on average
3.8 m) before taking a 90° turn and changing orientation from northeast to southwest (for on average
3.3 m). This indicates that the ditches served the same purpose; it is likely that they acted as a bound-
ary and/or enclosed the field. This boundary is not currently in use, perhaps indicating a shift in land
ownership or land use. The ditch fills contained the only finds from the site: the outer ditch contained
some modern pottery (in C.46) and some glass (in C.86) while the inner ditch (C.87) contained an
extremely corroded anomalous iron object. All of these finds are modern in origin and they were not
kept as part of the site archive. Their recovery suggests that the ditches date to a relatively recent phase
of activity at the site.

8 Artefacts

No artefacts were retrieved during excavation of this site.

9 Environmental Remains

Twenty-one bulk soil samples were taken during excavation. These were assessed for the presence of
plant remains by Martha Tierney but no significant macroplant material was recovered apart from
the remains of one charred weed seed taken from a modern ditch fill (Appendix 5). Sixteen of the
samples were assessed for charcoal by Mary Dillon in order to select suitable material for radiocarbon
dating. Charcoal was only present in thirteen of the samples (Appendix 4) and it was predominantly
identified as a diffuse-porous wood type. Given the limited range of trees present in prehistoric Ireland
this means that the charcoal was from alder, willow/poplar, birch, hazel, plum/cherry, gorse or an ap-
ple-type tree. The most common types found at prehistoric sites tend to be alder or hazel. Only two
samples were different: C.92 from the fill of pit C.101 and possibly associated with the furnace, pro-
duced ring-porous wood and well preserved charcoal that was possible to identify definitively as oak
taken from C.13, the fill of one of the later ditches (C.88/C.93). This sample also contained charcoal
of diffuse-porous type.



10 Discussion

The frequent recovery of charcoal and heat-shattered stone deposits at Ballyvergin is striking and it
indicates that hot-stone technology (as described by Ó Néill 2003-4) was used at the site. There is an-
other, more conventional example of a burnt mound site at Dungeer, c.1,2 km to the southeast. Burnt
mounds are the most common Bronze Age sites found in Ireland. The characteristic site-type is found
in low-lying/damp ground and consists of a mound of charcoal-rich black sediment that is packed with
heat-shattered stones and forms a horseshoe-shape around a pit or trough that filled with water. In
many cases, however, all that survives to the present day are black spreads with fragments of shattered
stones visible in ploughed fields.

Traditionally these sites have been interpreted as ancient cooking places, where large stones were heated
in fires and then added to the water-filled trough: the extreme heat of the stones eventually heating the
water in the trough until it reached boiling point. It could be maintained at this heat by occasional ad-
ditions of hot stones. Archaeologists suggest that meat was covered in straw or a similar wrapping and
boiled within the trough. Experimental cooking at reconstructed sites such as Ballyvourney (O’Kelly
1954) have demonstrated that this could be achieved quite efficiently. However, the scarcity of ani-
mal remains from most excavated burnt mounds (although there are some notable exceptions such as
Inchagreenoge in Co. Clare; Grogan forthcoming) has left the question of function open to debate
and other theories on their use include bathing and dyeing textiles together with the production of
hot water and steam for curative purposes and sweat houses (Ó Drisceoil 1988). All of these sugges-
tions are speculative as there is virtually no conclusive scientific evidence to prove or disprove theories
about how the sites were used. This may be partially because the sites that archaeologists describe as
burnt mounds were used for several different purposes. We recognise the sites archaeologically by the
remains of charcoal and heat shattered stones but as Ó Néill (2003-4) points out, these are the remains
of a technology (the use of hot stones known as “pyrolithic technology”), rather than specific indica-
tions of the end result of the process.

The Dungeer burnt mound was situated at the only area of low ground that was covered by this
scheme and this perhaps explains why there was only one definite example of these ubiquitous monu-
ments excavated during the course of this project. There are sixty-three burnt mounds (or “ fulachta
fiadh”) listed in the Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford (Moore 1996) but up to the year 2003
there were only three others recorded in the county (www.excavations.ie and Bennett 2003, 2004 and
2005), as well as a reference to ploughed-out burnt mounds recorded during testing (Stafford 2003).
Recent excavations in Co. Wexford along the routes of new roads in the county will augment the
number of excavated examples.

There are also suggestion that the deposits excavated from Ballyvergin were associated with metalwork-
ing, as slag-like and manganese deposits were quite commonly recorded during excavation, although
no slag or hammer-scale was retrieved from any of the samples from the site. There are suggestions
of associations with metalworking at burnt mound sites such as Tullaheddy, Co. Tipperary (O’Brien
2000) and Bawnaglogh, Cork (Ó Néill 2000) and perhaps metalworking was one of the many applica-
tions for hot-stone technology.



11 Summary

The site at Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford, excavataed under licence 00E0473, comprised five pits, one pos-
sible furnace, one hearth and twenty-five stakeholes. The entire area was truncated by two ditches that
are of recent origin. The frequency of charcoal and heat-shattered stone in the archaeological deposits
indicated the use of pyrolithic technology at the site. However, despite the similarity of these deposits
to burnt mound material, there was no evidence for a trough at the site and many of the contexts were
interpreted as the residues of industrial waste, probably from metalworking. The site produced an Ear-
ly-Middle Bronze Age radiocarbon date and it complements evidence for fairly sporadic and low-level
production of metal in the earlier part of the Irish Bronze Age. The area of excavation was truncated
by later (modern) field ditches which caused extensive disturbance to the archaeological remains.



12 Bibliography

Bennett, I. (ed.) 2003. Excavations 2001. Bray, Wordwell.



Bennett, I. 2004-5. ‘Archaeological Excavations in Co. Wexford’, Journal of the Wexford Historical
Society 20, 184-196.

Colfer, B. 1987. ‘Anglo-Norman Settlement in County Wexford’, pp. 65-101 in Whelan, K. (ed.)
Wexford History and Society. Interdisciplinary essays on the history of an Irish county. Dublin,
Geography Publications.

Colfer, B. 1990-1991. ‘Medieval Wexford’, Journal of the Wexford Historical Society 13, 4-29.

Cotter, C. 1986. ‘MacMurroughs, Co. Wexford’, in Cotter, C. (ed.) Excavations 1985. Dublin, Irish
Academic Publication for Organisation of Irish Archaeologists.

Green, S. W. and Zvelebil, M. 1990. “The Mesolithic colonisation and agricultural transition of south-
east Ireland”, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 56, 57-88.

Howarth, O.J.R. 1911. A Geography of Ireland. London, Oxford Geographies.

McCarthy, M. 2004. ‘Strandfield, Co. Wexford’, pp. 520-521 in Bennett, I. (ed.) Excavations 2002.
Bray, Wordwell.

McLoughlin, C. 2004. ‘Kerlogue’, pp.517-518 in Bennet, I. (ed.) Excavations 2002. Bray, Wordwell.

Mitchell, F. & Ryan, M. 1997. Reading the Irish Landscape, Town House, Dublin

Moore, M.J. 1996. Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford. Dublin, Government Publications.

Moran, J. 2000. ‘Ballyanne, Co. Wexford’. in Bennett, I. (ed.) Excavations 1998. Bray, Wordwell.

O’Brien, R. 2000. ‘Tullahedy, Co. Tipperary’, in Bennett, I. (ed.) Excavations 1999. Bray, Wordwell.

O’Keefe, T. 2000. Medieval Ireland, An Archaeology. Stroud, Tempus.

O’Kelly, M.J. 1975. ‘Archaeological Survey and Excavation of St. Vogue’s Church, Enclosure and
Other Monuments st Carnsore, Co. Wexford’, Unpublished excavation report for the Electricity
Supply Board.

O’Kelly, M.J. 1954 ‘Excavations and experiments in Irish cooking places’, Journal of the Royal Society
of Antiquaries of Ireland 84, 105-156.



Ó Drisceoil, D. 1988 ‘Burnt mounds: cooking or bathing?’, Antiquity 62 (671-680).

Ó Néill, J. 2003/2004 ‘Lapidibus in igne calefactis coquebatur: The historical burnt mound “tradition”’,
Journal of Irish Archaeology XII & XIII, 79-86.

Ó Néill, J. 2000 Bawnaglgogh, Co. Cork 98E0420, p.14 in Bennett, I. (ed.) Excavations 1998. Bray,
Wordwell.

Purcell, J. 2004. ‘St. Vogue’s’, in Bennet, I. (ed.) Excavations 2002. Bray, Wordwell.

Purcell, A. 2002. ‘Courtlands East, Co. Wexford’, in Bennett, I. (ed.) Excavations 2000. Bray,
Wordwell.

Stafford, E. 2003. “N30 Realignment Moneytucker to Jamestown,” in Bennett, I. (ed.) Excavations
2001. Bray, Wordwell.

Stout, G. 1987. ‘Wexford in Prehistory 5000 B.C. to 300 A.D.’, pp.1-39 in Whelan, K. (ed.) Wexford
History and Society. Interdisciplinary essays on the history of an Irish county. Dublin, Geography
Publications.

Websites

www.excavations.ie accessed 21st October 2006

www.nra.ie/Archaeology/LeafletandPosterSeries accessed 21st October 2006

Maps reproduced under licence where appropriate Ordnance Survey Ireland Licence No. AU
0005603 © Government of Ireland



13 Figures

Figure 1: Discovery map showing the route of the N25 Rathsillagh to Harristown road

Figure 1: Discovery map showing the route of the N25 Rathsillagh-Harristown road



2 km
00E0417

00E0425
00E0424

0
00E0476
00E0623

00E0624
00E0626

00E0625
00E0475
00E0474
00E0471

00E0473

New Archaeological Sites
Existing N25
New Road
Key:

Figure 2: Ordnance Survey 1st edition showing the route of the N25 Rathsillagh-Harristown road.



2 km
00E0417
21
20
D
TE

25

00E0425
IS
EL
18

D
19

00E0424

58
173131

52
24

00E0476
16

00E0623
23
67

00E0624
00E0625 64
00E0626

0
00E0475
00E0474
TE1531
D
LIS
DE

33
00E0471

D
TE
3232
IS
EL
D
14

00E0473
13

New Archaeological Sites
Existing N25
New Road
Key:

Figure 3: RMP (Sheet 36) showing the route of the N25 Rathsillagh-Harristown road



Figure 4: Route of new road with all excavated sites displayed
500m
0m



E 287948
N 123884

E 287944
N 123875

E 287954
N 123871

Figure 5: Post-excavation plan of the excavated area at Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford (00E0473)
showing the pits, possible furnace and the later ditches truncating the archaeological contexts



C.93
E 287948 C.101
N 123884

E 287957
N 123881

C.93

C.112
C.73
C.67 C.14
C.17

C.49 C.44
C.19
C.20 C.51 C.45
C.65 C.71
C.53
C.57 C.55
C.36
C.75
C.77 C.115
C.69
C.37
C.79 C.91
C.33 C.29

C.31

E 287944
C.13
N 123875
C.4
C.104

C.12
C.2

C.94

E 287954
N 123871

0 5m

Figure 6: Post-excavation plan of the site at Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford, with the Early-Middle
Bronze Age features accentuated



14 Plates

Plate 1: Working shot of site under excavation with view of surrounding landscape

Plate 2: Cut of Pit C.112



Plate 3: Stakeholes around area of hearth C.37

Plate 4: Pit C.4



Plate 5: Deposit C.90 containing a large amount of heat shattered stone



15 Appendices
15.1 Appendix 1 Context Register
Context No. Dimensions (l x b Description
x d) in metres
2 1.86 m N-S x 1.0 m A sub-rectangular cut with rounded corners to the SE and SW. The break
x 0.26 m in depth of slope top was gradual to the south, NE and SW, sharp to the west, SE
and NW and the cut was truncated by machine to the north and to the
east by C.4. The west side was vertical and irregular, the south side was
gently sloping and concave and the eastern side was moderately sloped and
concave. The break of slope at the base was gradual except to the west, SE
and NW where it was sharp. The base was flat to concave in profile. The
cut of a pit dug for the purpose of industrial activity, filled with C.10, 25,
26, and 27.
3 2.2 m NW-SE x Mid reddish brown, soft, fine, sandy silt that contained moderate amounts
1.40 m x 0.3 m in of pebbles, small stones, charcoal flecks, ash and slag-like material. Inclu-
depth sions indicate that it may be the by-product of industrial activity on the
site. Fill of pit cut C.4.
4 2.4 m NE-SW x 1.2 Sub-rectangular cut. Break of slope top of the cut was gradual everywhere
m x 0.3 m in depth except to the south and NE where it was imperceptible. Sides were gently
sloping and the break of slope base was gradual. The base itself was oval in
plan and concave in profile. The SE edge of the cut was truncated. A large
shallow pit cut filled with C.3, it truncated C.2 and 12. It was purposely
dug for the deposition of waste industrial material, possibly associated with
localised, small-scale industrial activity.
5 1.44 m NNE-SSW Dark brownish black, charcoal stained soft clayey silt with frequent coarse
x 0.74 m x 0.12 m pebbles and moderate amounts of stones. The primary fill of a very shallow
in depth hearth, burnt in situ, it is over C.21, possibly for the purpose of cooking or
heating. The presence of stakeholes around this feature suggests some form
of a temporary shelter for the fire.
6 0.22 m E-W x 0.1 A black, soft, silty clay that contained occasional coarse pebbles and char-
m x 0.20 m depth coal. However, the soil is generally charcoal stained. Fill of stakehole, cut
C.15, the stake appears to have been burnt in situ.
7 0.1 m NW-SE x A mid yellowish brown, soft, silty clay that contained occasional charcoal
0.07 m x 0.1 m flecks and pebbles. Fill of stakehole cut C.14.
depth
8 0.1 m NW-SE x A dark orangish black, soft, silty clay that contained frequent coarse peb-
0.08 m x 0.07 m bles. Bioturbation has caused the infiltration of stones and pebbles. The fill
depth of a stakehole, cut C.19.
9 0.09 m x 0.08 m x A dark orangish black, soft, silty clay that contained frequent coarse peb-
0.1 m in depth bles. Bioturbation has caused the infiltration of stones and pebbles. The fill
of stakehole, cut C.20.
10 2 m N-S x 0.6 m x Dark brownish black, soft, sandy silt that contained occasional sub-an-
0.07 m in depth gular stones, frequent charcoal flecks and moderate amounts of ash and
slag-like material. This context was overlain by others suggesting that the
pit was not cleaned out after every use. It is a fill of the pit cut C.2, and is
possibly representative of one episode of use, is truncated by the overlying
pit cut C.4.
11 0.26 m N-S x 0.15 A mid reddish brown, firm, sandy silt that contained moderate amounts of
m x 0.32 m in stones. This possibly naturally accumulated. The fill of a heavily truncated
depth cut, C.12, truncated by C.4 to the west and by machining to the east.
12 0.26 m N-S x 0.15 An irregularly shaped cut. The break of slope top was imperceptible to the
m x 0.32 m in SE and sharp to the NW and was severely truncated elsewhere. The sides
depth to the NW and the SE were gently sloping and concave and the break of
slope at the base was gradual. The base was concave in profile. The high
degree of truncation makes it difficult to tell the original shape or func-
tion of this feature. It was truncated by C.4 and machining. The cut of a
truncated possible pit, filled with C.11



x d) in metres
13 14.32 m NE-SW Dark brown, firm, silty clay with frequent angular pebbles and small
x 1.08 m x 0.25 stones and occasional charcoal flecks. Extended through Grid Squares 5,
m.depth 6 and 7 from NW to SE, and from NE to SW in Grid Square 4. Natural
silting up of ditch cut C.93.
14 0.1 m NW-SE x A circular cut with a sharp break of slope at the top, vertical sides and an
0.07 m x 0.1 m imperceptible break of slope at the base. The base was circular in plan and
depth had a tapered point in profile. The cut of a stakehole filled with C.7. Ap-
proximately 0.20 m west of a stakehole C.15 and three stakeholes C.18, 19
and 20 and to the northwest of a hearth fill C.5.
15 0.22 m E-W x 0.1 An oval shaped cut with a gradual break of slope at the top, steeply sloping
m x 0.20 m depth sides and imperceptible break of slope at the base. The base was pointed in
profile. This was the cut of a stakehole filled with C.6, located to the north
of the hearth feature and immediately west of stakeholes C.19, 20 and 14.
16 0.29 m x 0.16 x A black, soft, silty clay that contained occasional coarse pebbles and char-
0.33 m in depth coal. with charcoal staining. This stake appears to have been burnt in situ.
This is the fill of a stakehole, cut C.17.
17 0.29 m x 0.16 x An oval shaped cut with a sharp break of slope at the top. The sides were
0.33 m in depth steeply sloping to the east and concave elsewhere. The break of slope at
the base of the cut was imperceptible and the base had a tapered point in
profile. Immediately west of stakeholes C.19, 20 and 14.This is the cut of a
stakehole, filled with C.16.
19 0.1 m NW-SE x A circular cut with a sharp break of slope at the top everywhere except to
0.08 m x 0.07 m the east where it was imperceptible. The sides were steeply sloping and
depth concave and the break of slope at the base was imperceptible. The base had
a tapered point in profile. This is the cut of a stakehole located on the NW
edge of the basal burnt clay within the hearth, C.37.
20 0.09 m x 0.08 m x A circular cut with a sharp break of slope at the top everywhere except to
0.1 m in depth the east where it was imperceptible. The sides were steeply sloping and
concave and the break of slope at the base was imperceptible. The base had
a tapered point in profile. The cut of a stakehole filled with C.9, north of
the hearth feature and stakehole C.15.
21 1.64 m NW-SE x A mid greyish orange, soft silt with moderate coarse pebbles, small stones,
0.76 m x 0.08 m in burnt clay and small flecks of charcoal. The fill of a shallow hearth, under
depth C.5 and was cut by stakehole C.24. It was surrounded to the northwest
and the southeast by a series of stakeholes C.14, 19 and 20.
23 0.1 m N-S x0.1 x A dark orangish black, soft, silty clay that contained frequent coarse peb-
0.09 m depth bles. Bioturbation has caused the infiltration of stones and pebbles. The fill
of a stakehole, cut C.24.
24 0.1 m N-S x 0.09 m A circular cut with an indeterminable eastern edge. The break of slope at
depth the top of the cut was sharp everywhere except to the east. The sides were
vertical and the break of slope at the base was sharp. The cut of a truncated
stakehole filled with C.23. This stakehole was situated in the centre of the
hearth feature C.37, to the south of the stakeholes C.14, 19 and 20 and
posthole C.17. As it was truncated to the east it is likely that this stake was
removed at an angle in an eastern direction.
25 1.7 m in N-S x Light pinkish grey brown, fine, sandy silt that contained moderate
0.4 m x 0.12 m in amounts of pebbles and small stones, occasional charcoal pieces and slag-
depth like material. Fill of a pit cut C.2, is possibly in situ and is representative of
the final phase of use of the pit when it was no longer cleaned out.
26 1.2 m N-S x 0.17 m Dark bluish grey, soft, sandy silt that contained occasional pebbles and
x 0.05 m in depth moderate amounts of charcoal flecks and slag-like material. The in situ fill
of a pit cut C.2. It is possibly representative of the final usage of the pit,
C.2, when it no longer needed to be cleaned out.



x d) in metres
27 1.9 m N-S x 0.32 m A light yellowish grey, firm, sandy clay that contained moderate amounts
x 0.15 m in depth of charcoal flecks and slag-like material. This was the basal layer within
the pit C.2 and may have been deposited as a lining. The whitening of the
deposit may be as a result of temperatures generated by the use of the pit.
28 0.1 m diameter x A mid yellowish brown, soft, silty clay that contained moderate amounts of
0.15 m in depth coarse pebbles. The fill of a stakehole, cut C.29.
29 0.1 m diameter x A circular cut with a sharp break of slope at the top, vertical sides and im-
0.15 m in depth perceptible break of slope at the base. The base had a blunt tapered point
in profile. The cut of a stakehole filled with C.28, to the southeast of the
hearth feature and to the north of stakeholes C.31 and 33.
30 0.07 m in diameter A mid to dark brown, soft, silty clay that contained moderate amounts of
x 0.09 m in depth angular pebbles. This is the fill of a stakehole, cut C.31.
31 0.07 m in diameter A circular cut with a sharp break of slope at the top, vertical sides and
x 0.09 m in depth imperceptible break of slope at the base. The base itself had a blunt tapered
point in profile. The cut of a stakehole, filled with C.30, located to the
southeast of the hearth feature and to the north of stakeholes C.32 and 33.
32 0.1 m in diameter x A dark blackish brown, soft, clayey silt that contained occasional small
0.1 m in depth flecks of charcoal and pebbles. The fill of a stakehole, cut C.33.
33 0.1 m in diameter x An oval cut with one rounded corner to the west. The break of slope at the
0.1 m in depth top of the cut was sharp everywhere except to the NE where it was gradual.
The sides were concave to the SW (slightly undercut), sloping gently to
the east and NE. The cut had a flat base in profile. The cut of a stakehole,
filled with C.32, located to the SE of the hearth feature and to the north of
stakeholes C.31 and 33.
34 5.85 m NE-SW x Mid brown, soft, silty clay containing occasional coarse pebbles and
2.45 m x 0.18 m charcoal flecks. The upper fill of a wide, shallow ditch cut C.94 that was
depth within a continuation of C.95. The two segments of the cuts were num-
bered differently due to the fact that the cut was not detectable over a small
area. Is most likely backfilled topsoil.
35 No dimensions A black, soft, silt that contained occasional coarse pebbles and charcoal
pieces. The soil, however, was charcoal stained throughout. This was a
stakehole charcoal plug, in stakehole cut C.36.
36 No dimensions A circular cut with a sharp break of slope at the top everywhere except to
the NE where it was imperceptible. The sides were concave to the SW and
west and imperceptible elsewhere. The break of slope at the base of the
cut was sharp to the SW and west and imperceptible elsewhere. The base
was flat in profile. This cut may have been truncated to the east. This is a
stakehole, filled with C.35 and 38. The stake was placed in the centre of
the hearth and was cut in to C.37, which was the hearth fill. The stakehole
cut was overlain by another layer within the hearth C.21, suggesting that
the stake was inserted during active use of the hearth. It would appear that
this stake was burnt in situ but only the surface was affected by the fire
creating a charcoal plug (C.35) while the underlying layer rotted in situ
(C.38).
37 1.7 m NW-SE x A mid brownish orange, firm, silty clay that contained frequent amounts
0.74 m x 0.06 m of coarse pebbles and small stones. There also moderate amounts of char-
depth coal flecks. The basal layer of the shallow hearth, it was in situ natural that
became burnt and oxidised as a result of fire. It underlay stakehole C.36.
38 No dimensions A mid brown, soft, silty clay that contained occasional coarse pebbles. Fill
of stakehole, cut C.36.
39 1.2 m NE-SW x Mid reddish brown, firm, sandy silt that contained occasional stones and
0.6 m x 0.05 m in pebbles. Natural silting up of a pit, cut C.44.
depth
40 1.36 m NE-SW x Dark brownish black, firm, silty clay with frequent angular fire cracked
0.98 m x 0.2 m in stone with occasional charcoal flecks. A spread of material within C.41, a
depth shallow recut of C.112, may have been cast from this pit for the purpose of
clean out.



x d) in metres
41 1.36 m NE-SW x A shallow recut of the larger pit, C.112, filled with C.40.
0.98 m x 0.2 m in
depth
42 2.2 m NE-SW x Mid brown, hard, sandy clay containing frequent pebbles. Naturally ac-
0.92 m x 0.05 m in cumulated fill of ditch cut C.94, under C.32 and over C.60.
depth
44 1.1 x 0.79 m x 0.13 A rectangular cut. The break of slope top was sharp to the west, NE and
m depth SW. The sides varied from vertical to steeply sloping and all were smooth.
The break of slope at the base of the cut was gradual. The base was concave
in profile. Due to the slope of this feature and its proximity to C.2, it is
possible that this cut was originally a cooling pit for material produced
within the pit, C.2. This is the cut of a pit filled with C.39, 58, 62 and 63.
45 0.20 m in diameter A circular cut that had a sharp break of slope at the top, vertical sides
x 0.1 m in depth except to the east where it was steep and a sharp break of slope at the base.
The base itself is concave in profile. Probably associated with C.44. Cut of
stakehole filled with C.47.
46 2.0 m E-W x length Mid brownish grey, firm, silty clay containing moderate amounts of coarse
of box section x pebbles and small stones and moderate amounts of charcoal flecks. Fill of
0.26 m in depth ditch cut C.95. Another segment of this ditch was recorded further SE,
however the morphology of the cut and the nature of the fills differed so
the cut was given a different number (C.94).
47 0.20 m in diameter A mid reddish brown, firm, sandy silt. Fill of stakehole cut C.45.
x 0.1 m in depth
48 0.13 m N-S x 0.08 A mid blackish brown, soft, charcoal stained silty clay that contained oc-
m x 0.14 m in depth casional coarse pebbles. This is the fill of stakehole cut C.49.
49 0.13 m N-S x 0.08 An oval cut in plan with rounded corners to the NE and SW. The break
m x 0.14 m in depth of slope at the top was sharp everywhere except to the east where it was
gradual. The sides were vertical but slightly undercut to the west and con-
cave to the south. The break of slope at the base was imperceptible and the
base had a blunt tapered point in profile. This was the cut of a stakehole,
filled with C.48, located immediately north of C.51 and was also associ-
ated with stakeholes C.53, 55 and 57. This stakehole cut underlay a layer of
hearth fill C.37.
50 0.05 m in diameter A mid brown, soft, silty clay. The fill of stakehole, cut C.51.
x 0.06 m in depth
51 0.05 m in diameter A circular cut with a gradual break of slope at the top, concave sides and
x 0.06 m in depth an imperceptible break of slope at the base. The base had a blunt tapered
point in profile. This cut may have been truncated from above, as it was
very shallow. This was the cut of a stakehole, filled with C.50, located im-
mediately south of C.49 and underlay a layer of hearth fill C.37.
52 0.20 m NW-SE x A mid yellowish brown, firm, silty clay that contained frequent coarse peb-
0.18 m x 0.12 m in bles. It was truncated by C.55. The fill of stakehole cut C.53.
depth
53 0.20 m NW-SE x A circular cut with a gradual break of slope at the top everywhere except
0.18 m x 0.12 m in to the SE where it was imperceptible. The sides were gently sloping and
depth concave everywhere except to the SE where the side was truncated by C.55.
The base was flat in profile. This was the cut of a stakehole filled with
C.52. It was truncated by C.55 that may be packing or a new stakehole
taking up the position of the old.
54 0.12 NE-SW x 0.11 A dark orangish black, soft, charcoal stained clayey silt that contained
m x 0.11 m in depth moderate amounts of coarse angular pebbles and occasional amounts of
small angular stones. This is the fill of stakehole cut C.55.



x d) in metres
55 0.12 NE-SW x 0.11 An irregular cut with a sharp break of slope at the top everywhere except
m x 0.11 m in depth to the NW. The NW side consisted of part of C.53, which had previously
been removed. The sides were vertical and there was an imperceptible
break of slope at the base. The base itself was a tapered point in profile.
This was the cut of a stakehole, filled with C.54, and truncates C.53. C.55
may have served as packing or a new stakehole taking up the position of
the old C.53. This cut underlay a layer of hearth fill C.37 and was also as-
sociated with C.49 and C.51.
56 0.15 m N-S x 0.8 m A mid orangish brown, firm, silty clay with moderate amounts of coarse
x 0.05 m in depth angular pebbles and small angular and sub-angular stones. This context
may have been truncated to the east as the side was no longer visible. This
is the fill of stakehole, cut C.57.
57 0.15 m N-S x 0.8 m This context was originally circular shaped in plan, however, it had been
x 0.05 m in depth truncated to the east. The break of slope at the top of the cut was sharp to
the west, NW and SW, gradual to the SE and NE and imperceptible to the
east. The sides were vertical to the west, NW, SW, gradual to the SE and
NE. The break of slope at the base of the cut was sharp to the west, NW
and SW, gradual to the SE and NE and imperceptible to the east. The base
was flat in profile. This was the cut of a stakehole, filled with C.56, which
was underneath the final layer of hearth material C.37 and was associated
with C.51, 53, and 55 that also underlay C.37.
58 0.8 m N-S x 0.4 m Mid yellowish grey, firm sandy silt with moderate amounts of pebbles,
x 0.09 m in depth manganese, charcoal flecks and burnt fractured stones and occasional
flecks of white sandy clay and pieces of slag-like material. Fill of pit cut
C.44, an upcast of soil, possibly from the digging of another feature then
deliberately deposited in C.44.
59 2.1 m NE-SW x Mid brown, friable, silty, sandy clay containing frequent coarse pebbles
1.5 m x 0.20 m in and angular, fire shattered stones and lumps of manganese that may be
depth natural. It was disturbed burnt mound material. A spread of fire shattered
stones within the wide, shallow, ditch C.94.
60 1.9 m NE-SW x Black, friable, silty, sandy clay containing occasional pebbles, fire shattered
0.55 m x 0.15 m stone and occasional charcoal flecks. The inclusions of charcoal and fire
depth shattered stone suggests that it was redeposited burnt mound material. It
was located in the centre north of Grid Square 2 extending along the NE
edge of the ditch. Fill of ditch cut C.94.
61 1.5 m NW-SE x 0.6 Mid yellowish brown, firm, sandy clay containing frequent angular fire
m x 0.1 m in depth shattered pebbles and stones. Redeposited burnt mound material mixed
with naturally accumulated soil. Fill of ditch cut C.94.
62 0.72 m NW-SE x Mid pinkish brown firm very fine sandy silt with moderately occurring
0.51 m x 0.07 m burnt coarse angular pebbles, frequently occurring burnt small and me-
depth dium stones, occasional small pieces of manganese and flecks of charcoal.
Fill of pit, cut C.44, under C.58..
63 0.4 m NE-SW x Mottled dark greyish black soil with small and medium, angular and sub-
0.3 m x 0.03 m in angular stones, moderate amounts of a mid brown, sandy silt and charcoal
depth and slag-like material. This is a small spread of fire shattered stone, char-
coal and material associated with the pit to the south C.2. This material
was deposited as a result of industrial activity, into pit cut C.44.
64 None given A mid brown, clayey silt that contained moderate amounts of coarse peb-
bles and occasional angular and sub-angular stones. This is the fill of a
stakehole, cut C.65.
65 None given A sub-circular cut with a sharp break of slope at the top everywhere except
to the NE where the side had been truncated. The sides were concave
except to the NW, which was stepped. The break of slope at the base of the
cut was imperceptible. The base blunt tapered point in profile. This was
the cut of a stakehole located to the west of a series of stakeholes C.49, 51,
53, 55 and 57.


Archaeological Excavation Report E0473 - Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford, Ireland - EAP Journal

Archaeological Excavation Report E0473 - Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford, Ireland - EAP Journal

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Archaeological Excavation Report E0473 - Ballyvergin, Co. Wexford, Ireland - EAP Journal