Dublin City Archaeological Archive/ 9-12 High Street (E000538)

Context

Creator(s): Margaret Gowen and Company

• Administrative History ↴

  The archaeological excavation on this site took place between 14 May 1990 and 08 June 1990. The excavation was carried out under licence to the Office of Public Works for Moss Technology Ltd. and was entirely funded by that company. The excavated area measured 5m x 8m and lay beneath the site of a proposed building, at the rear of 9-12 High Street, Dublin 8, in which three basement car parking spaces are required with the main structure of the building to be supported by a grid of widely-spaced piles. The development site was bounded to the west by Schoolhouse Lane, on the east by a new building on 6-8 High Street (Byrne's Builders Providers) and on the north by a retaining wall inserted in 1988, during the construction of which archaeological deposits were excavated and recorded (Declan Murtagh). The site lies in an area of sub-development behind the pre and post-Norman High Street properties and the Viking/medieval town at the back of the High Street properties. The deposits excavated appear to date from the late Viking and early pot-Norman periods or the 11th to early 14th centuries. Five pre-Victorian levels of deposits were identified beneath demolition rubble, revealing post-and-wattle boundary walls, one possible post-and-wattle structure and numerous cess pits. The uppermost level, Level 5, revealed the substantial foundations of a corner of a medieval masonry building and a very tiny portion of its cobbled floor. Finds included a bronze kidney-headed pin, several polished bone pins, fragments of two bone combs and a casket mount, a glass ring and amber ring, a complete leather shoe, a small stone bowl, two rotary sharpening stones and a large quantity of animal bone, some cut and worked antler, fish bone and shell.

• Archival History ↴

  Transferred by Margaret Gowen and Co. Ltd. To Dublin City Archives, 20 October 2009

• Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

  Donation