Family’s skeletal remains excavated from St Mary’s Church for carbon dating
THE skeletal remains of two adults and two children who were buried on the grounds of St Mary’s Church hundreds of years ago, have been excavated for radio carbon dating examination.
The remains were discovered, along with traces of other human bones underneath them, by Wexford archaeologist Catherine McLoughlin and her team in mid-December.
Ms McLoughlin was carrying out soil excavation work at the old church grounds, which date to the 12th century when the knight William Marshall and Isobel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke, built the original church, when she made the exciting discovery.
Refurbishment works are under way within the old graveyard area of the church, at Bowling Green, New Ross, which is one of the main sites on Failte Ireland’s Ancient East Norman Way route.
New Ross Municipal District are laying a new walking path, erecting interpretive panel and installing new lighting on the grounds of the church, where Ms de Clare’s heart was buried at her request.
As part of the archaeological survey new service trenches were dug, removing surface water from the church.
‘At the front of the church we found skeletal material. The first skeleton was very close to the service so it was a later burial than the others. The coffin nails were still there but the coffin didn’t survive.
‘ Then another adult burial was found and beneath that there were two child burials and in some of the other trenches there were other remains but we didn’t have to excavate absolutely everything. We did preserve the remains in situ.’
Once the remains were found Ms McLoughlin contacted the National Monument Services, the National Museum of Ireland, Gardaí and the coroner’s office as per procedure before getting a licence to excavate.
An osteo archaeologist will study the bones to date the people and will look for any pathological breakages or signs of disease.
‘We can integrate these details into a final report which should be completed by mid-2017,’ Ms McLoughlin said.
Tiles and pottery from medieval times in New Ross were also unearthed on the ancient site.
‘ They all tell the story of the site and about how people lived in New Ross in medieval times. When the lighting and the paving and signs are in place it will be a really nice and interesting place to go for a walk.’
Ms McLoughlin said some of the remains are from people who lived in medieval times in New Ross.
‘ The church dates to the 13th century and was founded in 1210. It is one of the largest medieval parish churches in the whole of Ireland and it has fantastic Gothic features. It’s a really important medieval structure. The remains were found at the entrance to the Church of Ireland church which would have been at the back of the old medieval nave which was knocked in 1811. The new church was built within the footprint of the old nave. The present entrance dates back to the new church which was built in 1812 and 1813 so when you walk up by the entrance you are walking on a medieval graveyard.’ The drain trenches have been refilled and refurbishment work will continue on site in January.
Ms McLoughlin said members of the public are free to visit the church grounds.
Funding for the works is being provided by Wexford County Council with grant aid from Failte Ireland, while New Ross District Director Eamonn Hore and Executive Engineer Abraham Dunne have been overseeing the works, with District Manager Sinead Casey.