Location
License No.
Description
headstones as well as two in situ burials. A partially exposed skeleton (Burial 2) was encountered at the northern end of the trench 0.98m below the present ground surface. It was oriented east – west with the head to the west. The skull, vertebral column, left humerus and radius, left pelvis and the proximal portion of the left femur were noted, along with some of the right and left ribs. The remainder of the skeleton was not exposed following the advice of Dúchas. This skeleton, probably 19th-century in date, lay within a deep layer of mid-brown sandy silt containing large amounts of displaced human bone. The right-hand side of a second adult skeleton was positioned immediately to the north of Burial 2. The skull and left-hand side of the body were outside the excavated area, and the distal end of the right tibia and the remaining lower right side of the skeleton also extended under the baulk. A wooden and cord set of rosary beads was wrapped around the distal end of the radius, indicating that the burial was lying in its original position. A piece of the shroud had survived around the rosary beads, and fragments of metal representing either the coffin breastplate or part of the shroud were noted resting on the upper vertebrae. Six displaced headstones were encountered during the excavation of this trench. Five were removed and were placed on wooden pallets at the northern end of the carpark. The base of the other headstone extended under the baulk and it was decided to leave this in position, as there was a considerable safety risk in exposing it fully owing to its proximity to the wall. The headstones lay within a relatively compact layer of brown sandy silt that was directly overlain by the carpark surface. This layer contained large amounts of disarticulated human bone, which presumably resulted from the disturbance of human burials during the construction of the wall and other activity on the site. Finds from the layer were of modern ceramics, including willow pattern ware and modern glass, and it would appear that this area was extensively disturbed in the 19th century. Test-trench 3 was placed at the extreme northern end of the carpark and excavation again revealed an in situ burial. Finds from the layers indicated substantial disturbance during the 19th century as glass and ceramics from this period were noted throughout. The burial consisted of the upper part of an adult skeleton oriented in an east – west direction with the head to the west. The skull was fragmented but the remainder of the skeleton was intact. The humeri, radii, pelvis, scapulae, ribs and the proximal ends of the femora were all exposed. The distal portions of the femora and the lower extremities of the body extended under the eastern baulk. Fragments from the coffin, including handles, nails and small pieces of wood, were recovered from the soil surrounding and overlying the skeleton.
Integrated Urban Strategy, Shandon, Cork Baseline archaeological assessment
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