Excavation - miscellaneous

The National Monuments Service's description

Medieval timber-lined cess pits, timber fence-lines for burgage plots excavated by Maedbh Saunderson (08E0462) at the rear of the 18th-century Kilkenny Courthouse (NIAH 12000084), Parliament Street, Kilkenny (Saunderson 2008, unpublished; 2010, 257-8). The courthouse is built on the site of the 15th-century urban tower house known as Grace’s Castle (KK019-026093-) and in the area of the medieval Hightown of Kilkenny that expanded between James's Street and the river Breagagh after 1207 (Farrelly et al. 1993, 76). The 15th-century urban tower house known as Grace’s Castle is incorporated into the present 18th-century Kilkenny Courthouse (NIAH 12000084), Parliament Street, Kilkenny. In the 13th century, William le Gros built a castle here, which became known as 'Grace's Castle' (O'Carroll 1983, 32). In 1566, it was yielded to the Crown for use as a 'Sheire Gaol' (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 69-70). It seems to have served this function until c. 1794, when it was probably rebuilt as a courthouse.
The excavated area was to the rear E of the courthouse and encompassed the centre of a series of E-W aligned burgage plots with associated boundary and drainage ditches, pits and cesspits, several of which were timber-lined. As a result of waterlogging, preservation on the site was exceptionally good and over 500 pieces of worked wood of medieval date were recovered.
A previously unknown streambed, identified running along the N boundary of the excavated area, represented the earliest phase of activity. This natural feature may have formed the original boundary between the lands of the Franciscan Abbey (KK019-026101-) to the N of the site and the immediate holdings of Grace’s Castle (KK019-026093-). A probable prehistoric stone axe was recovered from the base of the streambed. Four phases of medieval activity, dating from the 13th to 16th centuries were recorded. These phases were characterised by a series of N-S and E-W aligned ditches for burgage plots, with associated pits and cesspits. Several of the E-W aligned ditches contained lines of timber posts and stakes, the remains of fence lines for the plots. Each phase was sealed by distinctive inundation or make-up deposits, into which the features of the succeeding phase were dug. The earliest features were cut into several silty deposits which represent evidence for the flooding of the site by the River Nore, which presently lies 200m to the east. Several of the pits were lined with timber and some were lined with reused oak shingles. One shingle-lined pit produced a toy wooden sword. An abundance of archaeobotanical remains were present in the pits and one was filled with cherry stones (Lyons 2015, 43). A single isolated human burial (KK019-026204-), with distinctive ‘ear-muff’ stones on either side of the skull, was excavated in the NW corner of the site was associated with the third stratigraphic phase of medieval activity (precise date unknown). Seventeenth to 19th century burials (KK019-026205-) associated with the use of the site as the County Jail and courthouse were buried in post medieval deposits which sealed the medieval stratigraphy. Areas in the SE and SW of the site remain unexcavated and probably contain archaeology of similar nature and density.

See attached photographs:
KK019-026203-_01 Timber-lined cesspit
KK019-026203-_02 General view of the northern portion of the excavation, looking NE

Compiled by: Cóilín Ó Drisceoil

Date of upload: 4 November 2020

References

Farrelly, J., O'Reilly, B., and Loughran, A. 1993 Urban archaeological survey - county Kilkenny (2 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Saunderson, M. 2010 Kilkenny Courthouse, Parliament Street, Kilkenny, in I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2007: summary accounts of excavations in Ireland, No. 969, 257-8. Bray. Wordwell.

Saunderson, M. 2008 Kilkenny Courthouse Preliminary Report (incomplete draft report by ArchTech Ltd).

Lyons, S. 2015 Food plants, fruits and foreign foodstuffs: the archaeological evidence from urban medieval Ireland. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 115C, 111-166.

O'Carroll, J. 1983 Historic Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Self-published.

Carrigan, Rev. W. 1903 Kilcooley Abbey. Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead vol. 5, 452-7.