Excavation - miscellaneous

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated c. 130m N of the 17th-century parish church (CL061-011001-) within the zone of archaeological potential at the historic town of Bunratty (CL061-001----). Excavation in connection with proposed housing development (Wiggins 2000) revealed a large pit (3m N-S; min. 0.88m E-W but continuing beyond the cutting; D 0.65m) with an infill of black silty clay with some stones and scattered animal bones and a few fragments of burnt bone. A small sherd of 16th century Beauvais sgraffito was also recovered. The section revealed that the pit appears to be cut into the infill of an earlier pit. The pit lies outside the suggested limits of the medieval borough (see Town Defences CL061-011003-) but within the enlarged urban limits as defined by the 17th century ditch sampled by Bradley and King in 1990 (Wiggins 2000, 8).

Compiled by: Mary Tunney

Date of upload: 2 October 2019

References

Bradley, J. and King, H. 1991 Archeaological trial excavations at Bunratty, Co. Clare. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 33, 16-21.

Wiggins, K. 2000 Development at Bunratty West, Co. Clare: archaeological impact assessment with test excavation 00E0288. Unpublished report, National Monuments Service, Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin.