Road — hollow-way in Rathdown Upper

In 1993 a geophysical survey was carried out by Geoquest Associates of Durham, England under licence No. 93E0187 in the field containing St. Crispin's Cell (WI008-012001-) and in the field to the W of the church. Magnetometer and selective resistivity survey of the west field indicated a relatively featureless geophysical terrain. Five small areas had positive magnetic lines which were interpreted as possible shallow ditches. Work in the east field revealed a series of features, possibly shallow ditches, most pronounced in a 40m x 40m area north-west of the church. Excavation was undertaken by Charles Mount in 1993 under licence No. 93E0187. The excavation examined the south-western corner of the east field and the “hollow way” (WI008-072----) which runs in a north–south direction across the western end of this field. Cutting 14 examined the hollow way. It measured 20m x 1m and was excavated to 1.03m in depth. The stratigraphy consisted of the sod layer which in the position of the hollow way was compressed to only 0.4m in thickness. This overlay a dark brown soil. In the area of the hollow this overlay a stone layer 0.3m in thickness and 3.2m in width. On the western side it abutted the lighter coloured subsoil but on the east it petered out. The surface hollow was not centred on this stone layer as the former’s western edge was nearly in the base of the feature. Flint was most frequent and accounted for 85 finds. It occurred across the site but entirely in the sod and topsoil. Forty-six percent of the flints were unstruck pebbles, 25% were flakes, 16% were chipped cores and pebbles and 9% were scrapers. The high percentage of unchipped pebbles and chipped pebbles and cores, 62%, in comparison to the low percentage of scrapers, 9%, and their poor quality, suggests that this was a site at which flint pebbles were collected from the nearby shore and were made into artefacts. Pottery, at 29% of the finds, was mostly composed of 19th-century wares. Glazed red wares of possible medieval to 18th century date were scarce and unglazed red ware, of possible early medieval or prehistoric date, were scarcer again. Animal bone accounted for 11% of the finds and iron 7%. Excavation confirmed Halpin’s interpretation that the earliest feature in this area was a ditch, subsequently filled in and used as a routeway. Two sherds of glazed medieval pottery and a sherd of medieval cooking ware were recovered from the upper fills of the ditch but no diagnostic finds were made in the primary fills so the date of the feature remains unknown (Eogan and O'Brien 2005) Compiled by: Denis Power Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 30 July 2018