Habitation site

The National Monuments Service's description

02E1351
The site, in the townland of Kilmartin, Co. Wicklow, is to the east of the proposed Kilmartin N11 interchange. The ground is elevated, with the Wicklow Mountains to the west and the Irish Sea to the east. A number of stake-holes, post-holes and burnt deposits were excavated. The features were uncovered during topsoil-stripping as part of the excavation of borrow-pit material for the road construction, which was monitored under licence 02E1418 (No. 1977 below). No structural pattern emerged. All evidence pointed to an isolated scatter of stake-holes, possibly truncated by later agricultural activity (Bennett 2004, 537).

02E0754
Testing was undertaken at Kilmartin, Co. Wicklow, on the site of a proposed borrow pit (Borrow Pit 9.1) associated with the new N11 Road Scheme, from 22 to 24 May 2002. This was carried out using a mechanical digger fitted with a flat, toothless bucket. Four trenches were excavated, with twenty branches at right angles to the main trenches.
Material of probable archaeological significance was recorded in three trenches. The locations of the potential archaeological deposits suggest a density of archaeological material along the south and west of the proposed site. Trench 2, in the west of the site, produced datable evidence (pottery) that may be medieval but is possibly Bronze Age. The fact that identical pottery was found 76m apart in this trench suggested that the material may be associated with quite an extensive site. The clustering of the archaeological deposits in the trenches also suggested that there may be further significant clusters of deposits outside the area of the present test-trenches. Pits (post-pits?) in Trench 2e and post-holes and a linear cut in the south of Trench 1 may indicate large enclosures. The material in Trench 3, while also varied, may represent lesser, localised activity but also has further archaeological potential (Bennett 2004, 537).

Date of upload: 30 September 2012

References

Bennett, I. (ed.) 2004 Excavations 2002: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland. Bray. Wordwell.