Irish Street, Dumfries

What is now a busy car park near the centre of Dumfries was excavated in 1989 and 1994, revealing a selection of items from the Mesolithic as well as the Medieval period. Two trenches were excavated and a large amount of medieval sherds were recovered. The sherds were mainly local ware and dated from the 14th and 15th centuries. Four chert debitage flakes of probably mesolithic origin were also recovered. The earliest evidence of human occupation on the site was in the form of 60 worked stone artefacts typologically representative of the Mesolithic period. These artefacts were recovered from a sandy silt deposit overlying a bank of sand and gravels on the northern side of the River Nith.   Reference:   Cachart, R (1989b) 'Dumfries burgh and parish, British Legion Building, Irish Street, medieval sherds, flint flakes', Discovery Excav Scot Page(s): 12   Mackenzie, J R (1995d) '73-75 Irish Street, Dumfries (Dumfries parish), urban medieval and Mesolithic', Discovery Excav Scot Page(s): 19   http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/77835/