Burial

The National Monuments Service's description

Isolated medieval burial excavated by Maedbh Saunderson (08E0462) at the rear of the 18th-century Kilkenny Courthouse (NIAH 12000084), Parliament Street, Kilkenny (Saunderson 2008; 2010). An earlier caslte (KK019-026093-) is probably incorporated into the present 18th-century courthouse (Farrelly et al. 1993, 76). In the 13th century, William le Gros built a castle here, which became known as 'Grace's Castle' (O'Carroll 1983). 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 (ibid.).
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 (KK 019-026203-). The burial was found in the NW of the excavation site, S of a streambed identified running along the N boundary of the excavated area. It was associated with the third phase of medieval activity identified on the site and was orientated E-W in a supine extended position, with characteristically medieval ‘ear-muff’ stones visible supporting the sides of the skull (Saunderson 2008, unpublished). The burial was fully excavated.

See attached plan of the burial.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly and Cóilín Ó Drisceoil

Date of upload: 4 November 2020

References

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

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

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 Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.