The site at Scartbarry has been identified as a Late Bronze Age burnt mound where hot stone technology was used but there is no definite evidence from this site to indicate the specific purpose of heating stones and water in the area; the technology could have been utilised in a variety of processes from cooking and bathing to fulling, felting, boat building and many other industrial processes. The site is just one of many similar monuments that have been discovered in the general area in recent years and it contributes to the widespread evidence for use of hot stones and water in the area in prehistory.
Three phases of archaeological activity were recorded on the site. The earliest phase is a Neolithic house and associated features within Area ІІ. An Early Bronze Age pit was located in Area І some 70m south of the house site. The final phase of activity related to Post-Medieval agricultural practices and included a back-filled ditch within Area ІІ.
The site occurs within an area where a cluster of Bronze Age fulachta fiadh sites have been identified.
Three burnt mounds were recorded (CO019-019, -020 and -021) within 500m of the site, while two other burnt mounds were excavated as part of this road project; Stagpark 2 (04E1121) was 800m away to the north and Mitchelstown 2 (04E1071) was 2km to the north. The intense use of this small area for the purposes of heating stones and water has produced a date range that suggests occupation on a long-term, if perhaps intermittent basis from at least the Early Bronze Age. The lower heavier wetter ground in the area was used for sites such as these. With the exception of the burnt mound at Mitchelstown 2, which was located on the northern bank of the Gradoge River, the remaining burnt mounds are not located adjacent to any known or contemporary water sources. The underlying subsoil is however a heavy clay which holds water very effectively being almost impermeable. The archaeological evidence indicates that contemporary Early Bronze Age occupation occurred on the higher drier ground, at Stagpark 1 (04E1120) 600m to the north. An extensive occupation site, dating to the Middle Bronze Age, was located on a limestone ridge on the northern bank of the Gradoge River at Mitchelstown 1 (04E1072) 2.8km to the north.
A group of over a hundred pits, postholes and stakeholes were located on the hilltop at Stagpark. The features dated from the Early Bronze Age to the Middle Iron Age which would suggest that the hilltop was occupied over a long period of time. Four pits containing burnt fills were recorded in Area A and Area C. The pits were similar in terms of morphology, size and date. The two sets of pits were located within 1m of each other and c. 40m apart. Almost identical Early Bronze Age dates were returned for two of the pits. The pits may have functioned as cremation pits, although minute traces of burnt bone was recorded in only one of the fills. They may also have been utilised for a domestic purpose. One of the two large pits (C.1001) in Area B was dated to the Early Bronze Age. It is difficult to interpret the function of these pits as they are exceptionally large. Stakeholes recorded on the upper sides of pit C.1001, these may have formed a frame or covering for the pit.
The recovery of two sherds of Late Bronze Age coarse ware from a pit, in the vicinity of the hearth-pit C.22, in the northwest section of Area A, would indicate that this area was utilised during the Late Bronze Age. A cluster of three pits and eight stakeholes were located to the southeast of the hearth.
Four of the stakeholes in particular could have formed a shelter around the hearth open to the west.
Although no dating evidence was obtained from the features in the vicinity of the large pits C.66 and C.90 it is possible that they are associated with the Late Bronze Age activity surrounding the hearth C.22.
A Middle Iron Age date was returned from the later re-cut of the large pit C.110. An L-shaped alignment, consisting of three pits, 13 stakeholes and three postholes, extended to the north and east of the pit. The alignment measured c. 6m north-south by 13m east-west. It could be associated with the Middle Iron Age pit C.110, the Early Bronze Age cremation pits or the Late Bronze Age features.
A number of fulachta fiadh were recorded downslope to the north and south of the site. Three burnt mounds were recorded (CO019-019, -020 and -021) within 500m of the site, while four other burnt mounds were excavated as part of this road project; Stagpark 1 (04E1119) was 600m to the south, Stagpark 2 (04E1121) was 200m away to the north and Mitchelstown 2 (04E1071) was 1.5km to the north. The fulachta fiadh are located on heavier clay subsoil. Radiocarbon dates obtained from some of the burnt mounds would suggest that these sites were utilized during the Early Bronze Age.
The site, possibly located on the margins of prehistoric settlement, forms an interesting contrast to a Middle Bronze Age settlement site excavated at Mitchelstown 1 (04E1072). The remains of at least three circular houses were excavated at Mitchelstown 1. The site was located on a limestone ridge on the northern bank of the Gradoge River. The opposing site on the southern bank of the Gradoge River was subsequently occupied by the Anglo Normans in the thirteenth century. The material evidence recorded on site was scant. No associated pits and stakeholes were associated with the structures. It is possible that these features were located outside the route corridor.
The site consisted of a sub-circular enclosure with a diameter of approximately 36 m; it was initially identified as a crop mark on an aerial photograph, with no trace at ground level. Three sides of the enclosure were formed by two ditches (recorded as the ‘east ditch’ and the ‘west ditch’). The fourth side was characterised by large pits/postholes and slot trenches which probably continued the line of the enclosure, despite the absence of a ditch. The enclosure surrounded a Bronze Age settlement site, with a sub-circular post and stake-built structure excavated near the centre of the enclosed area and an ancillary structure to the west. This report details the results of excavation at the site and the descriptions are broken down into context complexes: the enclosure, the internal structure, the ancillary building, other internal features and external features.
This document provides an architectural survey of nine sites along the proposed N7 Castletown to Nenagh road scheme in Ireland. It describes the methodology used, which included field inspections and historical research. Each site is then documented with descriptions, photographs, sketches, and historical map extracts. The sites include a former smithy, entrance gates and avenue, several vernacular farm complexes, the remains of a country house and associated buildings, sections of an old road and bridge, and a standing ruin. Recommendations are provided to mitigate impacts to cultural heritage.
In Bricketstown townland a number of agricultural features were exposed including a limekiln, land divisions, hearth and stakeholes, a platform with medieval waste and evidence of ridge and furrow cultivation. The main features of the sites included early land divisions (ditches), a work surface with residues from various industrial activities, a hearth surrounded by stakeholes/hearth furniture, later land divisions (ditches) that enclosed ridges and furrows and a kiln. The archaeological evidence from the site is generally indicative of activity associated with agriculture, incorporating a kiln, furrows, boundaries and drainage ditches.
This report comprises the Final Report of excavations undertaken by Eachtra Archaeological Projects along the line of the proposed Castledermot Sewerage Scheme in 2004. Kildare County Council proposed to upgrade the sewerage system in Castledermot village running from the Lerr River to the south along Abbey St. and Main St. to Skenagun to the north. The present town contains extensive archaeological remains, both upstanding and subsurface, of the earlier Medieval town (KD040-002). Therefore in 2002, an archaeological assessment of the proposed line of the sewerage trench was carried out (Byrne 2000). This was followed by a programme of test excavations (Lynch 2002). The results of this work led to a decision to archaeologically resolve the line of the proposed pipe trench in advance of commencement of construction works. Eachtra Archaeological Projects excavated the line of the proposed trench between June and December 2004 under excavation licence number 04E0750. While the excavated trench was narrow, it offered a lengthy cross-section of the Medieval and Post-Medieval town. The excavation revealed a number of facets of the town during these periods including the Medieval town walls and a cemetery. Following archaeological resolution of the trench, it was backfilled to be opened at a future date for the insertion of the sewerage pipes.
This guide provides information on inspection and maintenance of protective coatings. It acknowledges contributions from several Reclamation employees who helped prepare the guide. It also expresses gratitude to organizations that provided training which made the guide possible. The guide is intended as an introduction to standards and procedures for surface preparation, application, testing and maintenance of coatings. It focuses on coatings for new construction, existing infrastructure and galvanized coatings for ferrous substrates. The guide generally follows Reclamation's coating specifications.
Three phases of archaeological activity were recorded on the site. The earliest phase is a Neolithic house and associated features within Area ІІ. An Early Bronze Age pit was located in Area І some 70m south of the house site. The final phase of activity related to Post-Medieval agricultural practices and included a back-filled ditch within Area ІІ.
The site occurs within an area where a cluster of Bronze Age fulachta fiadh sites have been identified.
Three burnt mounds were recorded (CO019-019, -020 and -021) within 500m of the site, while two other burnt mounds were excavated as part of this road project; Stagpark 2 (04E1121) was 800m away to the north and Mitchelstown 2 (04E1071) was 2km to the north. The intense use of this small area for the purposes of heating stones and water has produced a date range that suggests occupation on a long-term, if perhaps intermittent basis from at least the Early Bronze Age. The lower heavier wetter ground in the area was used for sites such as these. With the exception of the burnt mound at Mitchelstown 2, which was located on the northern bank of the Gradoge River, the remaining burnt mounds are not located adjacent to any known or contemporary water sources. The underlying subsoil is however a heavy clay which holds water very effectively being almost impermeable. The archaeological evidence indicates that contemporary Early Bronze Age occupation occurred on the higher drier ground, at Stagpark 1 (04E1120) 600m to the north. An extensive occupation site, dating to the Middle Bronze Age, was located on a limestone ridge on the northern bank of the Gradoge River at Mitchelstown 1 (04E1072) 2.8km to the north.
A group of over a hundred pits, postholes and stakeholes were located on the hilltop at Stagpark. The features dated from the Early Bronze Age to the Middle Iron Age which would suggest that the hilltop was occupied over a long period of time. Four pits containing burnt fills were recorded in Area A and Area C. The pits were similar in terms of morphology, size and date. The two sets of pits were located within 1m of each other and c. 40m apart. Almost identical Early Bronze Age dates were returned for two of the pits. The pits may have functioned as cremation pits, although minute traces of burnt bone was recorded in only one of the fills. They may also have been utilised for a domestic purpose. One of the two large pits (C.1001) in Area B was dated to the Early Bronze Age. It is difficult to interpret the function of these pits as they are exceptionally large. Stakeholes recorded on the upper sides of pit C.1001, these may have formed a frame or covering for the pit.
The recovery of two sherds of Late Bronze Age coarse ware from a pit, in the vicinity of the hearth-pit C.22, in the northwest section of Area A, would indicate that this area was utilised during the Late Bronze Age. A cluster of three pits and eight stakeholes were located to the southeast of the hearth.
Four of the stakeholes in particular could have formed a shelter around the hearth open to the west.
Although no dating evidence was obtained from the features in the vicinity of the large pits C.66 and C.90 it is possible that they are associated with the Late Bronze Age activity surrounding the hearth C.22.
A Middle Iron Age date was returned from the later re-cut of the large pit C.110. An L-shaped alignment, consisting of three pits, 13 stakeholes and three postholes, extended to the north and east of the pit. The alignment measured c. 6m north-south by 13m east-west. It could be associated with the Middle Iron Age pit C.110, the Early Bronze Age cremation pits or the Late Bronze Age features.
A number of fulachta fiadh were recorded downslope to the north and south of the site. Three burnt mounds were recorded (CO019-019, -020 and -021) within 500m of the site, while four other burnt mounds were excavated as part of this road project; Stagpark 1 (04E1119) was 600m to the south, Stagpark 2 (04E1121) was 200m away to the north and Mitchelstown 2 (04E1071) was 1.5km to the north. The fulachta fiadh are located on heavier clay subsoil. Radiocarbon dates obtained from some of the burnt mounds would suggest that these sites were utilized during the Early Bronze Age.
The site, possibly located on the margins of prehistoric settlement, forms an interesting contrast to a Middle Bronze Age settlement site excavated at Mitchelstown 1 (04E1072). The remains of at least three circular houses were excavated at Mitchelstown 1. The site was located on a limestone ridge on the northern bank of the Gradoge River. The opposing site on the southern bank of the Gradoge River was subsequently occupied by the Anglo Normans in the thirteenth century. The material evidence recorded on site was scant. No associated pits and stakeholes were associated with the structures. It is possible that these features were located outside the route corridor.
The site consisted of a sub-circular enclosure with a diameter of approximately 36 m; it was initially identified as a crop mark on an aerial photograph, with no trace at ground level. Three sides of the enclosure were formed by two ditches (recorded as the ‘east ditch’ and the ‘west ditch’). The fourth side was characterised by large pits/postholes and slot trenches which probably continued the line of the enclosure, despite the absence of a ditch. The enclosure surrounded a Bronze Age settlement site, with a sub-circular post and stake-built structure excavated near the centre of the enclosed area and an ancillary structure to the west. This report details the results of excavation at the site and the descriptions are broken down into context complexes: the enclosure, the internal structure, the ancillary building, other internal features and external features.
This document provides an architectural survey of nine sites along the proposed N7 Castletown to Nenagh road scheme in Ireland. It describes the methodology used, which included field inspections and historical research. Each site is then documented with descriptions, photographs, sketches, and historical map extracts. The sites include a former smithy, entrance gates and avenue, several vernacular farm complexes, the remains of a country house and associated buildings, sections of an old road and bridge, and a standing ruin. Recommendations are provided to mitigate impacts to cultural heritage.
In Bricketstown townland a number of agricultural features were exposed including a limekiln, land divisions, hearth and stakeholes, a platform with medieval waste and evidence of ridge and furrow cultivation. The main features of the sites included early land divisions (ditches), a work surface with residues from various industrial activities, a hearth surrounded by stakeholes/hearth furniture, later land divisions (ditches) that enclosed ridges and furrows and a kiln. The archaeological evidence from the site is generally indicative of activity associated with agriculture, incorporating a kiln, furrows, boundaries and drainage ditches.
This report comprises the Final Report of excavations undertaken by Eachtra Archaeological Projects along the line of the proposed Castledermot Sewerage Scheme in 2004. Kildare County Council proposed to upgrade the sewerage system in Castledermot village running from the Lerr River to the south along Abbey St. and Main St. to Skenagun to the north. The present town contains extensive archaeological remains, both upstanding and subsurface, of the earlier Medieval town (KD040-002). Therefore in 2002, an archaeological assessment of the proposed line of the sewerage trench was carried out (Byrne 2000). This was followed by a programme of test excavations (Lynch 2002). The results of this work led to a decision to archaeologically resolve the line of the proposed pipe trench in advance of commencement of construction works. Eachtra Archaeological Projects excavated the line of the proposed trench between June and December 2004 under excavation licence number 04E0750. While the excavated trench was narrow, it offered a lengthy cross-section of the Medieval and Post-Medieval town. The excavation revealed a number of facets of the town during these periods including the Medieval town walls and a cemetery. Following archaeological resolution of the trench, it was backfilled to be opened at a future date for the insertion of the sewerage pipes.
This guide provides information on inspection and maintenance of protective coatings. It acknowledges contributions from several Reclamation employees who helped prepare the guide. It also expresses gratitude to organizations that provided training which made the guide possible. The guide is intended as an introduction to standards and procedures for surface preparation, application, testing and maintenance of coatings. It focuses on coatings for new construction, existing infrastructure and galvanized coatings for ferrous substrates. The guide generally follows Reclamation's coating specifications.
The excavation of Derrybane 2 recorded Bronze Age domestic and funerary activity in the form of a series of cremation pits, three structures and associated post-holes, hearths, pits and stake-holes. Area 1 measured 41 m north-south by 45 m east-west and Area 2 measured 44 m north-south by 318 m east-west. Excavation of the western end of the site revealed four cremation pits and eight pits that appeared to be associated with the funerary activity. A further two pits, a hearth, two post-holes and a linear cut were also excavated in this area. Excavation in the central section of the site revealed three post-built circular structures. The largest building (Structure 1) comprised a ring of eight post-holes and two small slot trenches with an entrance/porch at the south-east and was dated to the Late Bronze Age. The smallest structure was dated to the Early Bronze Age. In the eastern extent of Area 2 18 pits containing cremated human remains were excavated. The rim of an inverted urn (E3591:704:1-19) was recovered from one of the cremation pits. A further 15 pits were interspersed within the group of pits containing cremations. The cremations were dated to the Middle Bronze Age.
The excavation of the site at Ballynacarriga 1 revealed a dry water course. The stream may have been diverted during construction works associated with the nearby Ballynacarriaga House. A flint flake and sherds of 18 th /19 th century pottery were recovered from the sands and gravels of the dry water course. The flint flake dates to the Neolithic period.
Ardmore Archaeology Lecture March 2010`_finalJohn Tierney
This document provides an overview of the archaeology of Ardmore and its surrounding environs in Ireland. It outlines the major archaeological periods from the Mesolithic period 8000 BC to the modern period. It describes the physical landscape and townland names with ecclesiastical associations that provide clues about early settlement. Finally, it notes some historical references to silver mining in Ardmore in the 1630s.
There were two separate areas, 1 and 2, excavated at Greenhills 3. Area 1 was located in the western part of the site and comprised three small separate mounds of burnt material.
The mounds overlay six troughs and two pits. A third pit was located east of the central mound. Evidence of lining was recorded in one of the troughs. An Early Bronze Age date was returned from one of the fills of one of the troughs. A flint blade (E3658:1:2) was recovered from the topsoil.
Area 2 was located 30 m east of Area 1. The ground to the immediate west of the mounds of burnt material in Area 2 was low-lying and boggy and criss-crossed with land drains. It must have been the source of water for the troughs in Area 2 in prehistory. The northern mound of burnt material overlay seven trough and three pits. The southern mound of burnt material overlay one trough. Evidence of lining was recorded in five of the troughs. One Early Bronze Age and one Middle Bronze Age date was returned from a hearth and a trough. A small assemblage of animal bone was recovered from the fills of two of the troughs and two of the layers. Two flaked pieces of chert (E3658:34:1-2) were recovered from one of the layers.
Archaeological Report - Ballinglanna North 5, Co. Cork (Ireland)John Tierney
The archaeological excavations at Ballinglanna North 5 comprised two isolated pits. Both pits were dated to the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age, the northern pit by a radiocarbon date and the southern pit by the recovery of a flint scraper, (05E1150:2:1), recovered during the testing phase.
The site was a recorded early medieval enclosure or cashel (GA096:085) which was depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of the area. The site was levelled and destroyed by land clearance and was not visible above ground. The foundation level of a non-circular wall, which consisted of an inner and an outer face with an internal rubble
core, was partly traced around the perimeter of a low knoll. One small, internal, stone feature was identified below a stone deposit which covered the entire interior of the site.
A beautifully preserved baluster-headed ringed pin, dated from the 7th to the 8th century, was recovered during the excavation along with a crinoid fossil bead of possibly similar date. No suitable dating material was recovered during the excavation.
The excavation of the site at Carrigane 1 comprised six linear features, field drains and stake-holes. The majority of these features appeared to be post-medieval in date.
This report constitutes the final excavation report on a burnt mound in the townland of Caherweelder, Co. Galway. The site was excavated as part of the archaeological excavation programme in advance of construction for N18 Gort to Oranmore road scheme. The site was found within the lands acquired for the scheme during phase 1 archaeological testing. The site consisted of the western extent of a burnt mound, a re-cut trough and a well.
The new road clipped the western edge of a burnt mound. The excavation revealed the presence of a large trough and a well. Both features were located below the remains of the burnt mound material. Two Late Bronze Age radiocarbon dates were obtained from basal fill of the trough and the well.
The site at Fermoy Wood has been identified as a early Iron Age burnt mound where hot stone technology was used but there is no definite evidence from this site to indicate the specific purpose of heating stones and water in the area; the technology could have been utilised in a variety of processes from cooking and bathing to fulling, felting, boat building and many other industrial processes. The site is just one of many similar monuments that have been discovered in the general area in recent years and it contributes to the widespread evidence for use of hot stones and water in the area in prehistory. The nearest excavated site to the Fermoy Wood fulacht fiadh was the brushwood platform and trackway and nearby discovery of Giant Irish Deer in Ballyoran Bog (04E1014 extension).
Eachtra Archaeological Projects were engaged to monitor works within previously untested or unresolved locations along the route of the new N8 Rathcormac/Fermoy Bypass, between June 2004 and February 2005. Three previously unknown archaeological sites were discovered in the course of monitoring internal works. One such site was at Ballyoran Bog, where remains of Giant Irish Deer and a possible brushwood trackway were excavated. The skeletal remains of the Giant Irish Deer are a rare occurrence on archaeological sites, but one of the most interesting aspects of the excavation was the discovery that later inhabitants of the area were aware that deer remains were present in the bog, as tool marks on antler fragments demonstrate. Excavation and post-excavation analysis of the brushwood platform/trackway has revealed that the occupiers of this site exploited the immediate environs of the bog for construction materials. The discovery of the possible trackway is significant, given that the majority of those sites recorded in Ireland are located in the Midlands. In conclusion, the site at Ballyoran bog is important on a provincial, as well as a national scale.
Two distinct features were recorded on the western and eastern side of the route of the N8 during topsoil striping prior to the construction of the temporary realignment of the R614. Site A a Bronze Age / Iron Age ring ditch was located to the west of the N8 and Site B an Early Bronze Age enclosure was located to the east in Ballybrowney Lower.
Site A has been identified as a ring-ditch with an internal diameter of 4.25m. Cremated human bone was recorded in the fills of the ring ditch. It is likely to be associated with the large Bronze Age/Iron Age site on the route of the N8 to the north-east which was excavated by E. Cotter in 2003. The site included four enclosures, three circular houses and a medieval corn-drying kiln. The site was truncated by several levelled field boundaries, probably 18th in origin (Cotter 2004, 38).
Site B was a continuation of an Early Bronze Age enclosure partially excavated by E.Cotter in 2003. As it was not going to be disturbed it was not excavated but recorded, planned and covered.
Archaeological Test Excavation Report E2003 Ballybrowney, N8 RFJohn Tierney
Two main areas of high archaeological significance were identified during the testing of the proposed route option A. These were a sub rectangular enclosure and the upstanding enclosure elements of the ringfort.
The outer bank and ditch of the ringfort are still intact to a large degree and are visible on the surface within the CPO line. The area is heavily overgrown with mature and semi-mature trees and a dense understorey of secondary growth. Despite this, and despite having been truncated by the insertion of a trackway cutting through the outer bank and the construction of a stone revetment and drain on its southern side, the outer enclosing elements of the ringfort are to a large degree extant.
The insertion of a modern trackway in this location would have a severe negative impact on the northern enclosing elements of the ringfort.
A small group of two pits dating to the Middle Neolithic and a burnt mound where hot stone technology was used was identified at Fermoy. This burnt mound technology could have been utilised in a variety of processes from cooking and bathing to fulling, felting, boat building and many other industrial processes. The challenge of these sites is to determine which activity took place on each or indeed whether they were multifunctional. It can be suggested that the site was used for the manufacture of cloth by the processes of fulling or dying.
The site occurs within an area where a cluster of Bronze Age fulachta fiadh sites have been identified.
Three burnt mounds were recorded (CO019-019, -020 and -021) within 500m of the site, while two other burnt mounds were excavated as part of this road project; Stagpark 2 (04E1121) was 800m away to the north and Mitchelstown 2 (04E1071) was 2km to the north. The intense use of this small area for the purposes of heating stones and water has produced a date range that suggests occupation on a long-term, if perhaps intermittent basis from at least the Early Bronze Age. The lower heavier wetter ground in the area was used for sites such as these. With the exception of the burnt mound at Mitchelstown 2, which was located on the northern bank of the Gradoge River, the remaining burnt mounds are not located adjacent to any known or contemporary water sources. The underlying subsoil is however a heavy clay which holds water very effectively being almost impermeable. The archaeological evidence indicates that contemporary Early Bronze Age occupation occurred on the higher drier ground, at Stagpark 1 (04E1120) 600m to the north. An extensive occupation site, dating to the Middle Bronze Age, was located on a limestone ridge on the northern bank of the Gradoge River at Mitchelstown 1 (04E1072) 2.8km to the north.
This report details the results of an archaeological excavation at a burnt mound site located at Urraghry townland in County Galway. The excavation uncovered a burnt mound, trough, stake-holes, gully, and paleochannel. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples indicated Early Bronze Age activity on the site. Mesolithic stone tools were also found, suggesting earlier occupation. The site contributes to understanding prehistoric settlement patterns in the area, with five Bronze Age sites excavated along this portion of a new road development.
Archaeological Report - IDA Arklow Business & Technology Park, Ballynattin, C...John Tierney
The site was excavated under licence no. 04E0712. It was divided into ten areas of excavation: Areas 1-6, Area 6W, Area 7, Area 10 and Area 12.The earliest evidence for human activity was an Early Neolithic radiocarbon date obtained from the fill of a ditch in Area 6. However, there is no evidence for associated Early Neolithic activity. Most of the archaeological features excavated at Ballynattin were Bronze Age. Bronze Age pits were found in Area 6W, there was a spread of Bronze Age material in Area 3 and three partial Bronze Age structures were found in Areas 6 and 7. These were truncated and approximately only one third of each structure survived for excavation. A furnace excavated in Area 2 may also be Bronze Age in date; it has no associated radiocarbon dates but a saddle quern and flints were found within the furnace fill. The remaining features excavated at the site were primarily post-medieval, including a hearth excavated in Area 4, drains and ditches (Areas 1, 4 and 5) and a 19th century cobbled surface (Area 5).
The recording of three Early Bronze Age pots within a small pit is a very significant find. There are no parallels for the two small pots, one of which was decorated to represent a human face or body. The pit containing the pottery was located on the northern bank of the Gradoge River on the western fringe of the road corridor, it is possible that further archaeological features are located to the west. The pit maybe associated with the burnt mound. The radiocarbon date returned for the pottery would overlap with Early Bronze Age dates returned for Fulachta Fiadh in Stagpark 3 (04E1119), located 2200m to the south, and are almost identical to dates returned for Early Bronze Age activity in Stagpark 1 (04E1120), located 1400m to the south.
There are 16 Bronze Age burials, comprising cist burials, Food Vessel burials, Urn burials and pit burials, recorded within a 13 km radius of the site. The burials are generally located on low-lying ground between 60 m and 100 m OD. Some are located within 500 m of the Funshion River and its tributaries, the Sheep River, the Tooraleagan River and the Gradoge River. Generally, Early Bronze Age burials tend to be concentrated in low-lying areas such as valley floors, while the associated settlement sites are probably located on higher ground along the valleys (Cooney & Grogan 1999, 103). While the majority of graves contain the remains of one individual, multiple burials, either collective or successive, also occurred. The majority of the Cordoned Urns are associated with burials and the simple pit grave is the commonest type (Waddell 2000, 149).
The Mitchelstown pit and pottery group shares some characteristics of Early Bronze Age burial practices in terms of the low-lying location in the river valley, the simple form of the pit itself, and the deposition of the Cordoned Urn. However, many aspects are very different. The creation of a face and human features on Vessels 2 and 3, the positioning of the ears, anatomically incorrect, on both vessels and the inclusion of a spoon are all unusual. In addition, despite the inclusion of a Cordoned Urn - usually a funerary vessel, there was no evidence of burial recorded at the site. The deposition therefore points away from burial and towards other ritual, for instance libation to a deity. It is also possible that this pit does not exist in isolation and other archaeological features, including burials, may be located in the area to the west, beyond the edge of the road corridor.
The site at Mitchelstown 1 was discovered during archaeological investigations along the route of the Mitchelstown Relief Road. The site comprised three houses constructed in at least two phases, one of the houses having been cut by the other two. The houses were approximately 10m in diameter and were roughly D-shaped in plan, with entrances centrally located on the straight side, facing east. One of the houses showed clear evidence of having had an internal division in the form of a slot trench running between two structural postholes. The slot trench could have held a wattle wall separating the entrance area (approximately one-third of the floor area) from the remainder of the house.
Little evidence was found of the material culture or economy of the inhabitants of the Mitchelstown houses. No pottery was recovered from the site and the few lithics were undiagnostic.
The number of cereal grains recovered from the soil samples was too small to allow any interpretation of the economy or diet of the population. A striking aspect of the environmental material however was the large number of seeds of the Dock family. These are usually considered to be weed seeds brought into houses inadvertently along with cereals. However, that is unlikely here, given the paucity of cereal grains on the site, and it may be that Dock seeds were deliberately gathered as a food source. Parallels for this have been found in Britain and Denmark where Dock seeds have been found in the gut contents of bog bodies.
The Mitchelstown houses have numerous parallels among the growing numbers of Middle Bronze Age houses now being discovered in recent Irish excavations and add to the expanding settlement pattern of the period.
Eachtra archaeological projects undertook excavation of Stratham’s garage in January and February of 2005 under licence 99E0757, an extension to a pre-existing licence. In total some eighty pits were excavated with a small number of linear features and post-medieval wall foundations, drains and a cobbled surface also present. There was no evidence for a medieval structure in this area of the site and many of the pits were filled with refuse. The excavated area was interpreted as the partial remains of four medieval burgage plots. Recent excavations of the area immediately north and adjacent to this site will hopefully provide material comparable to the results from the Stratham’s Garage site.
In May 2005, Eachtra Archaeological Projects excavated a fulacht fiadh and an isolated pit in Skehacreggaun td., Mungret. The fulacht fiadh dates to the Middle Bronze Age, within the usual date range for these monument types. The isolated pit is likely to date to the Bronze Age and it contained the only artefact recovered through these archaeological works. The scraper suggests craft and subsistence since prehistoric times.
Until monitoring of top-soil stripping commenced in 2003 only one archaeological monument was recorded on the site of the current development, Enclosure LI005:037. Following monitoring and subsequent excavation this area now includes records of at least three Late Bronze Age unenclosed flat cremation cemeteries, a ring-ditch in close proximity to one of the smaller cemeteries and the remains of four Fulachta Fiadh.
This report details an archaeological excavation of an isolated hearth feature located in Bricketstown, Co. Wexford during construction of the N25 road. The hearth consisted of a charcoal-rich spread overlying three deposits within an irregular oval cut that had been heavily truncated by previous groundworks. Radiocarbon dating placed the hearth in the Iron Age period between 500 BC-500 AD. It was one of few Iron Age sites identified in County Wexford to date.
The excavation of Derrybane 2 recorded Bronze Age domestic and funerary activity in the form of a series of cremation pits, three structures and associated post-holes, hearths, pits and stake-holes. Area 1 measured 41 m north-south by 45 m east-west and Area 2 measured 44 m north-south by 318 m east-west. Excavation of the western end of the site revealed four cremation pits and eight pits that appeared to be associated with the funerary activity. A further two pits, a hearth, two post-holes and a linear cut were also excavated in this area. Excavation in the central section of the site revealed three post-built circular structures. The largest building (Structure 1) comprised a ring of eight post-holes and two small slot trenches with an entrance/porch at the south-east and was dated to the Late Bronze Age. The smallest structure was dated to the Early Bronze Age. In the eastern extent of Area 2 18 pits containing cremated human remains were excavated. The rim of an inverted urn (E3591:704:1-19) was recovered from one of the cremation pits. A further 15 pits were interspersed within the group of pits containing cremations. The cremations were dated to the Middle Bronze Age.
The excavation of the site at Ballynacarriga 1 revealed a dry water course. The stream may have been diverted during construction works associated with the nearby Ballynacarriaga House. A flint flake and sherds of 18 th /19 th century pottery were recovered from the sands and gravels of the dry water course. The flint flake dates to the Neolithic period.
Ardmore Archaeology Lecture March 2010`_finalJohn Tierney
This document provides an overview of the archaeology of Ardmore and its surrounding environs in Ireland. It outlines the major archaeological periods from the Mesolithic period 8000 BC to the modern period. It describes the physical landscape and townland names with ecclesiastical associations that provide clues about early settlement. Finally, it notes some historical references to silver mining in Ardmore in the 1630s.
There were two separate areas, 1 and 2, excavated at Greenhills 3. Area 1 was located in the western part of the site and comprised three small separate mounds of burnt material.
The mounds overlay six troughs and two pits. A third pit was located east of the central mound. Evidence of lining was recorded in one of the troughs. An Early Bronze Age date was returned from one of the fills of one of the troughs. A flint blade (E3658:1:2) was recovered from the topsoil.
Area 2 was located 30 m east of Area 1. The ground to the immediate west of the mounds of burnt material in Area 2 was low-lying and boggy and criss-crossed with land drains. It must have been the source of water for the troughs in Area 2 in prehistory. The northern mound of burnt material overlay seven trough and three pits. The southern mound of burnt material overlay one trough. Evidence of lining was recorded in five of the troughs. One Early Bronze Age and one Middle Bronze Age date was returned from a hearth and a trough. A small assemblage of animal bone was recovered from the fills of two of the troughs and two of the layers. Two flaked pieces of chert (E3658:34:1-2) were recovered from one of the layers.
Archaeological Report - Ballinglanna North 5, Co. Cork (Ireland)John Tierney
The archaeological excavations at Ballinglanna North 5 comprised two isolated pits. Both pits were dated to the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age, the northern pit by a radiocarbon date and the southern pit by the recovery of a flint scraper, (05E1150:2:1), recovered during the testing phase.
The site was a recorded early medieval enclosure or cashel (GA096:085) which was depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of the area. The site was levelled and destroyed by land clearance and was not visible above ground. The foundation level of a non-circular wall, which consisted of an inner and an outer face with an internal rubble
core, was partly traced around the perimeter of a low knoll. One small, internal, stone feature was identified below a stone deposit which covered the entire interior of the site.
A beautifully preserved baluster-headed ringed pin, dated from the 7th to the 8th century, was recovered during the excavation along with a crinoid fossil bead of possibly similar date. No suitable dating material was recovered during the excavation.
The excavation of the site at Carrigane 1 comprised six linear features, field drains and stake-holes. The majority of these features appeared to be post-medieval in date.
This report constitutes the final excavation report on a burnt mound in the townland of Caherweelder, Co. Galway. The site was excavated as part of the archaeological excavation programme in advance of construction for N18 Gort to Oranmore road scheme. The site was found within the lands acquired for the scheme during phase 1 archaeological testing. The site consisted of the western extent of a burnt mound, a re-cut trough and a well.
The new road clipped the western edge of a burnt mound. The excavation revealed the presence of a large trough and a well. Both features were located below the remains of the burnt mound material. Two Late Bronze Age radiocarbon dates were obtained from basal fill of the trough and the well.
The site at Fermoy Wood has been identified as a early Iron Age burnt mound where hot stone technology was used but there is no definite evidence from this site to indicate the specific purpose of heating stones and water in the area; the technology could have been utilised in a variety of processes from cooking and bathing to fulling, felting, boat building and many other industrial processes. The site is just one of many similar monuments that have been discovered in the general area in recent years and it contributes to the widespread evidence for use of hot stones and water in the area in prehistory. The nearest excavated site to the Fermoy Wood fulacht fiadh was the brushwood platform and trackway and nearby discovery of Giant Irish Deer in Ballyoran Bog (04E1014 extension).
Eachtra Archaeological Projects were engaged to monitor works within previously untested or unresolved locations along the route of the new N8 Rathcormac/Fermoy Bypass, between June 2004 and February 2005. Three previously unknown archaeological sites were discovered in the course of monitoring internal works. One such site was at Ballyoran Bog, where remains of Giant Irish Deer and a possible brushwood trackway were excavated. The skeletal remains of the Giant Irish Deer are a rare occurrence on archaeological sites, but one of the most interesting aspects of the excavation was the discovery that later inhabitants of the area were aware that deer remains were present in the bog, as tool marks on antler fragments demonstrate. Excavation and post-excavation analysis of the brushwood platform/trackway has revealed that the occupiers of this site exploited the immediate environs of the bog for construction materials. The discovery of the possible trackway is significant, given that the majority of those sites recorded in Ireland are located in the Midlands. In conclusion, the site at Ballyoran bog is important on a provincial, as well as a national scale.
Two distinct features were recorded on the western and eastern side of the route of the N8 during topsoil striping prior to the construction of the temporary realignment of the R614. Site A a Bronze Age / Iron Age ring ditch was located to the west of the N8 and Site B an Early Bronze Age enclosure was located to the east in Ballybrowney Lower.
Site A has been identified as a ring-ditch with an internal diameter of 4.25m. Cremated human bone was recorded in the fills of the ring ditch. It is likely to be associated with the large Bronze Age/Iron Age site on the route of the N8 to the north-east which was excavated by E. Cotter in 2003. The site included four enclosures, three circular houses and a medieval corn-drying kiln. The site was truncated by several levelled field boundaries, probably 18th in origin (Cotter 2004, 38).
Site B was a continuation of an Early Bronze Age enclosure partially excavated by E.Cotter in 2003. As it was not going to be disturbed it was not excavated but recorded, planned and covered.
Archaeological Test Excavation Report E2003 Ballybrowney, N8 RFJohn Tierney
Two main areas of high archaeological significance were identified during the testing of the proposed route option A. These were a sub rectangular enclosure and the upstanding enclosure elements of the ringfort.
The outer bank and ditch of the ringfort are still intact to a large degree and are visible on the surface within the CPO line. The area is heavily overgrown with mature and semi-mature trees and a dense understorey of secondary growth. Despite this, and despite having been truncated by the insertion of a trackway cutting through the outer bank and the construction of a stone revetment and drain on its southern side, the outer enclosing elements of the ringfort are to a large degree extant.
The insertion of a modern trackway in this location would have a severe negative impact on the northern enclosing elements of the ringfort.
A small group of two pits dating to the Middle Neolithic and a burnt mound where hot stone technology was used was identified at Fermoy. This burnt mound technology could have been utilised in a variety of processes from cooking and bathing to fulling, felting, boat building and many other industrial processes. The challenge of these sites is to determine which activity took place on each or indeed whether they were multifunctional. It can be suggested that the site was used for the manufacture of cloth by the processes of fulling or dying.
The site occurs within an area where a cluster of Bronze Age fulachta fiadh sites have been identified.
Three burnt mounds were recorded (CO019-019, -020 and -021) within 500m of the site, while two other burnt mounds were excavated as part of this road project; Stagpark 2 (04E1121) was 800m away to the north and Mitchelstown 2 (04E1071) was 2km to the north. The intense use of this small area for the purposes of heating stones and water has produced a date range that suggests occupation on a long-term, if perhaps intermittent basis from at least the Early Bronze Age. The lower heavier wetter ground in the area was used for sites such as these. With the exception of the burnt mound at Mitchelstown 2, which was located on the northern bank of the Gradoge River, the remaining burnt mounds are not located adjacent to any known or contemporary water sources. The underlying subsoil is however a heavy clay which holds water very effectively being almost impermeable. The archaeological evidence indicates that contemporary Early Bronze Age occupation occurred on the higher drier ground, at Stagpark 1 (04E1120) 600m to the north. An extensive occupation site, dating to the Middle Bronze Age, was located on a limestone ridge on the northern bank of the Gradoge River at Mitchelstown 1 (04E1072) 2.8km to the north.
This report details the results of an archaeological excavation at a burnt mound site located at Urraghry townland in County Galway. The excavation uncovered a burnt mound, trough, stake-holes, gully, and paleochannel. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples indicated Early Bronze Age activity on the site. Mesolithic stone tools were also found, suggesting earlier occupation. The site contributes to understanding prehistoric settlement patterns in the area, with five Bronze Age sites excavated along this portion of a new road development.
Archaeological Report - IDA Arklow Business & Technology Park, Ballynattin, C...John Tierney
The site was excavated under licence no. 04E0712. It was divided into ten areas of excavation: Areas 1-6, Area 6W, Area 7, Area 10 and Area 12.The earliest evidence for human activity was an Early Neolithic radiocarbon date obtained from the fill of a ditch in Area 6. However, there is no evidence for associated Early Neolithic activity. Most of the archaeological features excavated at Ballynattin were Bronze Age. Bronze Age pits were found in Area 6W, there was a spread of Bronze Age material in Area 3 and three partial Bronze Age structures were found in Areas 6 and 7. These were truncated and approximately only one third of each structure survived for excavation. A furnace excavated in Area 2 may also be Bronze Age in date; it has no associated radiocarbon dates but a saddle quern and flints were found within the furnace fill. The remaining features excavated at the site were primarily post-medieval, including a hearth excavated in Area 4, drains and ditches (Areas 1, 4 and 5) and a 19th century cobbled surface (Area 5).
The recording of three Early Bronze Age pots within a small pit is a very significant find. There are no parallels for the two small pots, one of which was decorated to represent a human face or body. The pit containing the pottery was located on the northern bank of the Gradoge River on the western fringe of the road corridor, it is possible that further archaeological features are located to the west. The pit maybe associated with the burnt mound. The radiocarbon date returned for the pottery would overlap with Early Bronze Age dates returned for Fulachta Fiadh in Stagpark 3 (04E1119), located 2200m to the south, and are almost identical to dates returned for Early Bronze Age activity in Stagpark 1 (04E1120), located 1400m to the south.
There are 16 Bronze Age burials, comprising cist burials, Food Vessel burials, Urn burials and pit burials, recorded within a 13 km radius of the site. The burials are generally located on low-lying ground between 60 m and 100 m OD. Some are located within 500 m of the Funshion River and its tributaries, the Sheep River, the Tooraleagan River and the Gradoge River. Generally, Early Bronze Age burials tend to be concentrated in low-lying areas such as valley floors, while the associated settlement sites are probably located on higher ground along the valleys (Cooney & Grogan 1999, 103). While the majority of graves contain the remains of one individual, multiple burials, either collective or successive, also occurred. The majority of the Cordoned Urns are associated with burials and the simple pit grave is the commonest type (Waddell 2000, 149).
The Mitchelstown pit and pottery group shares some characteristics of Early Bronze Age burial practices in terms of the low-lying location in the river valley, the simple form of the pit itself, and the deposition of the Cordoned Urn. However, many aspects are very different. The creation of a face and human features on Vessels 2 and 3, the positioning of the ears, anatomically incorrect, on both vessels and the inclusion of a spoon are all unusual. In addition, despite the inclusion of a Cordoned Urn - usually a funerary vessel, there was no evidence of burial recorded at the site. The deposition therefore points away from burial and towards other ritual, for instance libation to a deity. It is also possible that this pit does not exist in isolation and other archaeological features, including burials, may be located in the area to the west, beyond the edge of the road corridor.
The site at Mitchelstown 1 was discovered during archaeological investigations along the route of the Mitchelstown Relief Road. The site comprised three houses constructed in at least two phases, one of the houses having been cut by the other two. The houses were approximately 10m in diameter and were roughly D-shaped in plan, with entrances centrally located on the straight side, facing east. One of the houses showed clear evidence of having had an internal division in the form of a slot trench running between two structural postholes. The slot trench could have held a wattle wall separating the entrance area (approximately one-third of the floor area) from the remainder of the house.
Little evidence was found of the material culture or economy of the inhabitants of the Mitchelstown houses. No pottery was recovered from the site and the few lithics were undiagnostic.
The number of cereal grains recovered from the soil samples was too small to allow any interpretation of the economy or diet of the population. A striking aspect of the environmental material however was the large number of seeds of the Dock family. These are usually considered to be weed seeds brought into houses inadvertently along with cereals. However, that is unlikely here, given the paucity of cereal grains on the site, and it may be that Dock seeds were deliberately gathered as a food source. Parallels for this have been found in Britain and Denmark where Dock seeds have been found in the gut contents of bog bodies.
The Mitchelstown houses have numerous parallels among the growing numbers of Middle Bronze Age houses now being discovered in recent Irish excavations and add to the expanding settlement pattern of the period.
Eachtra archaeological projects undertook excavation of Stratham’s garage in January and February of 2005 under licence 99E0757, an extension to a pre-existing licence. In total some eighty pits were excavated with a small number of linear features and post-medieval wall foundations, drains and a cobbled surface also present. There was no evidence for a medieval structure in this area of the site and many of the pits were filled with refuse. The excavated area was interpreted as the partial remains of four medieval burgage plots. Recent excavations of the area immediately north and adjacent to this site will hopefully provide material comparable to the results from the Stratham’s Garage site.
In May 2005, Eachtra Archaeological Projects excavated a fulacht fiadh and an isolated pit in Skehacreggaun td., Mungret. The fulacht fiadh dates to the Middle Bronze Age, within the usual date range for these monument types. The isolated pit is likely to date to the Bronze Age and it contained the only artefact recovered through these archaeological works. The scraper suggests craft and subsistence since prehistoric times.
Until monitoring of top-soil stripping commenced in 2003 only one archaeological monument was recorded on the site of the current development, Enclosure LI005:037. Following monitoring and subsequent excavation this area now includes records of at least three Late Bronze Age unenclosed flat cremation cemeteries, a ring-ditch in close proximity to one of the smaller cemeteries and the remains of four Fulachta Fiadh.
This report details an archaeological excavation of an isolated hearth feature located in Bricketstown, Co. Wexford during construction of the N25 road. The hearth consisted of a charcoal-rich spread overlying three deposits within an irregular oval cut that had been heavily truncated by previous groundworks. Radiocarbon dating placed the hearth in the Iron Age period between 500 BC-500 AD. It was one of few Iron Age sites identified in County Wexford to date.
The Harristown Little kiln appeared to be a typical key-hole shaped kiln. Two similar kilns were excavated as part of this project, both in Bricketstown townland (licence nos. 00E0476 and 00E0626). The radiocarbon date from this kiln (cal AD 1460-1660) was very close to the date of use at Bricketstown 00E0476 (cal AD 1450-1650). Channels were cut into the bases of both the Bricketstown kilns and these acted as wind tunnels which distributed air evenly through the kiln as it was burning but these were not present at Harristown Little.
Most of the archaeological features recorded during this excavation were pits, 26 in total, two walls and a well were also excavated.
Most of the contexts were dated according to the artefacts retrieved from their fills. Therefore, pits with exclusively or almost exclusively medieval pottery were classified as medieval, whereas pits with medieval and post-medieval finds were classified as post-medieval. However, as most of the excavated features were backfilled, it is possible that some of the cut features that contained deposits, with inclusions of post-medieval artefacts, were actually open and in use in the medieval period.
The remains uncovered can be divided into medieval, post-medieval and modern. The pits were in general sub-circular and oval in plan, and, with the exception of pit C.98, were on average 2.06 m in length by 1.36 m in width by 0.61 m in depth. The fills of the pits were a mix of dark grey brown silty clay with occasional inclusions of animal bone and pottery. A total of 26 pits, two walls and a well were recorded.
The moated site comprised a rectangular moated area with an inside bank, a sub-rectangular building, and extensive evidence for activity outside the moat including numerous field boundaries, drains, furrows, working areas, a pottery kiln and a possible bisque firing kiln.
This report details the results of an archaeological excavation carried out at Kiltotan Collinstown 14, Co. Westmeath. The excavation uncovered two parallel post-medieval ditches and two burnt pits that were possibly medieval iron smelting furnaces. Analysis of artefacts, ecofacts and radiocarbon dating provided insights into the medieval and post-medieval activity on the site. The excavated features at this site are similar to others in the surrounding area and add to the understanding of settlement patterns in this rich archaeological landscape over multiple periods.
The site consisted of two concentrations of burnt mound material spread over an area of 20 m2 and an off-centre trough that was possibly originally plank-lined.
This site probably represents evidence of domestic occupation. Based on comparative evidence and the absence of any artefacts it has been assigned a prehistoric date. It may form either a corner from a fence line or may form part of a more complex structure such as a dwelling house. Rectangular houses are
known from the Neolithic through to the Bronze Age, and from the early historic period onwards.
Similar to Archaeological Excavation Report E2118 Scartbarry 6, N8 RF (20)
The Historic Graves Project involves community volunteers conducting archaeological surveys of historic graveyards. Volunteers use GPS cameras and audio recorders to photograph, document, and map over 1,200 headstones across 11 graveyards over two years. For each graveyard, the project creates a folder with a register of graves, a sketch map, contact sheets of photographs, and record sheets. The goal is to explore, protect, and promote awareness of Ireland's historic graveyards.
Public talk by John Tierney on recent work on the O'Daly Bardic School, Dromnea, Sheepshead, Cork and outlining a strategy for community-led heritage projects.
An Introduction to the Ballyhoura Peter Robinson Assisted Emigration ProjectJohn Tierney
This document provides an overview of a genealogical tourism project led by Dr. Paul MacCotter and John Tierney to document the history of families that took part in the Peter Robinson Assisted Emigration from Ireland to Canada in the 1820s-1830s. The project involves surveying graveyards and mapping homestead locations to build an online geolocated database of records. The goal is to help descendants research their ancestry and trace the places their families lived before emigrating. Methods for collecting, organizing, and publishing the historical data online are discussed.
Mendicity Institute Transmission book June-August 1882John Tierney
The document discusses the benefits of meditation for reducing stress and anxiety. Regular meditation practice can help calm the mind and body by lowering heart rate and blood pressure. Studies have shown that meditating for just 10-20 minutes per day can have significant positive impacts on both mental and physical health over time.
From headstone to homestead - crowdsourcing & heritage in IrelandJohn Tierney
This document outlines John Tierney's work with Eachtra Archaeological Projects surveying historic graves and homesteads in Ireland. It provides guidance on conducting graveyard surveys through sketch plans, geotagged photos, and record sheets. It also describes a process for identifying historic homesteads through reconnaissance, geotagged photographs, and publishing findings online and in a shared spreadsheet. The goal is to link Irish emigrant communities both within Ireland through shared heritage sites and records, and with communities abroad where emigrants settled.
Human remains of 48 individuals were discovered and excavated during works associated with the Tuam Town Water Supply Scheme in Toberjarlath townland on the eastern edges of Tuam, County Galway. The burials were located within the bounds of the former Tuam Union Workhouse, which opened in 1846. Eighteen grave pits containing between two and four burials each were uncovered. Analysis showed the individuals were paupers buried in the former workhouse grounds in the 19th century. A section of the workhouse boundary wall and internal ditch were also excavated.
Slides from John Tierney's talk on exploring the heritage of Ardmore in the era of digital research and publication. This talk is part of the www.reyndr.com project being developed by Eachtra in association with a number of community groups.
Community Genealogy in Ireland - Historic GravesJohn Tierney
Community engagement in historic graveyard surveys has a multiplier effect. What started as an archaeological survey of headstones has become community genealogy and local history. This talk was presented to the Irish Genealogical Research Society AGM in May 2013.
The Historic Graves Project is a community collaboration that aims to promote genealogical tourism by pinpointing family names and histories across centuries in graveyards in southeast Cork, Ireland. Volunteers record information from historic graveyards to share online and create puzzles and stories to engage people in learning about the people and families represented in each place through time.
Following the discovery of human remains during archaeological monitoring of engineering trial pits in Sawpit Lane a 1 m wide trench was excavated along Sawpit Lane, Church Lane and The Mall in advance of pipelaying associated with the Tuam Town Water Supply in July 2010. The remains of 15 individuals were recorded and excavated along with a series of ditches and pits. A stone culvert and the remains of a boundary wall were also identified. Two of the skeletons and a bone fragment from the base of one of the ditches returned calibrated radiocarbon dates centring on the seventh century. In addition a smithing hearth cake typical of early iron smithing was recovered from the upper fill of the ditch along with a bone trial motif piece which has sixth/seventh century parallels. The other pits and ditches had fills containing relatively mixed finds and animal bone fragments. The excavated features are located outside the present Temple Jarlath enclosure in the middle of Tuam and close to the site of the early medieval market area and the site of the post-medieval shambles. The pits may have acted as refuse pits for waste and the ditches may have demarcated areas or being used as open drains. The early burial evidence and the early possible enclosing ditch coupled with reports of an early unclassified cross slab suggest that the graveyard and enclosure at Temple Jarlath may be associated with St Jarlath’s original early Christian foundation.
This document provides an archaeological excavation report for Adare Castle in County Limerick, Ireland. It includes:
- A history of Adare Castle from its origins in the medieval period through different periods of occupation.
- A description and maps showing the location of the castle and areas excavated between 2001-2006, including the drawbridge, moat, kitchen, great hall, and two domestic areas.
- Results of the excavations including structures like walls, drains, and pits uncovered, along with artifacts found consisting of pottery, wood, bone, stone, metal, glass and leather objects.
- Environmental evidence from animal bones, plant remains, and shells analyzed to understand life at
Archaeological Report - 50-60 South Main Street, Wexford, Co. WexfordJohn Tierney
Occupation evidence dating to the 13th century and later post medieval activity, in the form of a well and boundary wall, associated with the demolished buildings on Peter Street was excavated. The medieval activity was recorded at the central southern part of the site. The area of excavation measured 11.5m north-south by 12m east-west.
All the pits in the excavation trench were medieval in date and are likely to have served as rubbish dumps. The artefactual material and the faunal remains recovered from the various fills would support this hypothesis. There was no evidence that they were used for industrial practises, though waste material from industrial activity was mixed with domestic refuse. They were located in the area of the medieval house burgage plots. No evidence of medieval structures was recorded. It is likely to exist under the foundations of the existing upstanding structures on South Main Street.
The pottery assemblage from the site was examined by the ceramic specialist Clare McCutcheon. The majority of the pottery consisted of local and Irish wares, comprising of Lenister Cooking ware, Wexford-type coarse ware, ware, fine ware and cooking ware. The English wares consisted of Minety-type, Ham Green and Redcliffe wares. The Wexford-type wares indicate local pottery production, although no medieval pottery kilns have as yet been located in Wexford. The French wares particularly the Saintonge ware, from the southwest of France, jugs, represented the wealthier tastes.
The greatest proportion of archaeological features encountered at Shandon relate to Medieval activity. While nothing dateable was recovered from the sub-rectangular enclosure ditch itself, the discovery of 12th/13th century pottery from features inside and immediately outside the enclosure provides a strong case that the ditch is contemporaneous.
It must be considered a possibility that the enclosure at Shandon is a Medieval moated site. The latter have been defined as “all rectangular enclosures bounded by banks and moats of Medieval date, whether they enclosed a major house or simply a garden or cattle pen” (Barry 1987, 84). While there was no definite evidence of a bank at Shandon, there is a suggestion that one may have existed. Moated sites date to the 13th and 14th century (ibid., 85) and the local pottery found at Shandon overlaps with this date range.
It must also be considered that the Shandon enclosure relates to Hiberno-Norse activity. Prior to the present work, the motif piece was the sole indicator of such activity. However, this find is now further substantiated by the discovery of an 11th century Hiberno-Norse coin (Plate 12). Because of preservation by redesign and avoidance, a large proportion of archaeological features at Shandon were not excavated and consequently it is quite possible that further diagnostic Hiberno-Norse material survives on the site. However, one coin and a trial piece do not a Hiberno-Norse settlement make and it is plausible that the coin was deposited in Anglo-Norman times long after its original period of manufacture and use.
The buildings to the rear of 26 Patrick St. were demolished. The area of the extension to the rear to the hotel measured 20m by 13m. The area of excavation was bounded by a stone wall to the south, by a building site to the north and west and by the Georgian building, 26 Patrick St., due for refurbishment to the east.
Occupation evidence dating to the 13th century and later post medieval activity associated with the demolished extension to 26 Patrick St. was excavated. The medieval activity was recorded at the western side of the site. Post-medieval construction, associated with the red brick foundations of the extension to the rear of the Georgian building which fronts onto Patrick St., had truncated medieval activity at the eastern end. The destroyed earlier medieval activity is evidenced by the occurrence of both medieval and post-medieval pottery in the same strata.
Archaeological excavation of the site at Busherstown revealed a complex multi-period site with six phases of activity. In broad outline they confirmed the use of the area from the Early Neolithic period to the present time. The first period of activity was prehistoric in date and comprised a small assemblage of lithics and a circular structure (Structure A) dated on typological grounds to the Bronze Age. The second phase was dated to the early medieval period, when the area was used for cereal processing, as evidenced by the discovery of at least 17 cereal-drying kilns and a further seven possible kilns. The majority of the kilns were located in a line that extended for a distance of 80 m in a NW-SE direction. The firing chambers of the kiln were for the most part located at the NE. A small number of the kilns were partially enclosed (Structures D and E). The third phase of activity was defined by an enclosure (ditches C.68 and 447) which was probably contemporary with the cereal processing. The continuous use of the area of the enclosure in the medieval period was confirmed when certain areas of the site were enclosed through the construction of deep, wide ditches (ditches C.54 and C.63). The ditches (ditches C.227 and C.78) were re-cut in the later medieval period to function as an annexe to a moated site. A substantial ditch, 5.5 m wide by 1.7 m deep, defined the moated site. Only the southern corner of the moated site was located within the road corridor. However, the entire outline can be clearly seen in aerial photographs of the adjoining field to the north-east. Two structures (C and D) were contemporary with the moated site. The post-medieval period was represented by a large number of furrows crossing the site and material which had been dumped into the top fills of the ditches. The site was levelled in the recent past.
Authors: Ewelina Chrobak, Jacinta Kiely and Tori McMorran
The excavations at Kilsheelan, Co. Tipperary uncovered three areas of pits. The pits in two areas (Areas 2 and 3) were isolated and did not contain notable artefacts or environmental evidence. However, at Area 1 there were several pit clusters and artefacts and radiocarbon dates indicated occupation (probably intermittent rather than permanent) during the Early Neolithic.
Geophysical Survey: Land Adjacent to Archaeological Sites - County Offaly & C...John Tierney
This document provides details of archaeological geophysical surveys conducted at 5 sites - Busherstown 1, Drumbaun 2, Drumroe 1, Killeisk 1, and Park 1 - located along the route of a new road scheme in Counties Offaly and Tipperary, Ireland. Magnetic gradiometer and susceptibility surveys were used to investigate the archaeological remains found during previous excavations. The surveys identified potential archaeological features extending beyond the excavation areas, including ditches, enclosures, and field boundaries, adding to the understanding of activity at these sites. The results provide valuable information to planners but require verification through archaeological excavation.
The excavation of the site at Moneygall 2 comprised a single pit of unknown date. The site is located in Moneygall townland, Cullenwaine parish, Offaly county. Jacinta Kiely directed the excavation and authored the excavation report. The pit was excavated and no datable artifacts or features were uncovered, so the date of the feature remains unknown.
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2. Final excavation report of a fulacht fiadh at
Scartbarry,
N8 Rathcormac- Fermoy,
Co. Cork
June 2010
Client: Direct Route (Fermoy) Construction Ltd.,
Rosemount Business Park,
Ballycoolin Park,
Dublin 11.
E Number E2118
Licence No.: A014/002
Contact details:
The Forge,
Innishannon, Co. Cork.
Written by: John Tierney & Penny Johnston Tel.: 021 470 16 16
Fax: 021 470 16 28
E-mail: info@eachtra.ie
Web Site: www.eachtra.ie
3. E2118 Scartbarry, Co. Cork ISSUE 6: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237
Table of Contents
i Project details .................................................................................................... iv
ii Non Technical Summary ................................................................................... iv
1 Introduction .......................................................................................................1
1.1 Scope of the Fermoy/Rathcormac bypass project ..........................................1
1.1 Circumstances of discovery ..........................................................................2
1.2 Date and duration of excavation works .........................................................2
1.3 Size and composition of the excavation team ................................................2
2 Receiving Environment ......................................................................................3
2.1 The Natural Landscape ................................................................................3
2.2 The Human Landscape ................................................................................3
3 Original Research Framework ............................................................................6
4 Excavation Results ..............................................................................................6
4.1 Excavation Methodology ..............................................................................6
4.2 Full Stratigraphic Report ..............................................................................6
4.3 Radiocarbon dates ........................................................................................9
4.4 Cultural Material .........................................................................................9
4.5 Environmental Evidence ..............................................................................10
5 Discussion ......................................................................................................... 10
6 Assessment of Archaeological Potential & Significance ...................................... 11
7 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 11
8 References .......................................................................................................... 12
9 Figures ............................................................................................................... 13
10 Plates .................................................................................................................20
11 Appendices ........................................................................................................ 23
11.1 Appendix 1: Matrix ....................................................................................23
11.2 Appendix 2: Context List ............................................................................24
11.3 Appendix 3: Plant Remain Report ..............................................................31
11.4 Appendix 4: Description of timbers from Scartbarry ..................................34
11.5 Appendix 5: Site Archive (Basis) Summary ..................................................41
11.6 Appendix 6: Dissemination Strategy............................................................41
11.7 Appendix 7: Programme Schedule ..............................................................42
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4. E2118 Scartbarry, Co. Cork ISSUE 6: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237
List of Figures
Figure 1: Portion of discovery map showing route of N8 Rathcormac Fermoy. ....................................13
Figure 2: Portion of RMP sheets CO027, 028, 035, 036, 044, 045, 053 and 054 showing route of the N8
Rathcormac Fermoy. .............................................................................................................................14
Figure 3: Portion of RMP sheet CO035 showing location of Scartbarry excavation.............................15
Figure 4: Portion of route of N8 Rathcormac Fermoy showing location of Scartbarry excavation. .......16
Figure 5: Post-excavation plan of fulacht fiadh, watercourse C.20 and forestry drains C.14 & C.16. ...17
Figure 6: Post-excavation plan and section of trough C.41 and associated stakeholes. ..........................18
Figure 7: Mid-excavation plan and section of timber lining in trough...................................................19
List of Plates
Plate 1: View of portion of in-filled watercourse C.20, forestry drains and forestry in background. ..... 20
Plate 2: View of burnt mound layer C.6. .............................................................................................. 20
Plate 3: Post-excavation of trough from southwest. ...............................................................................21
Plate 4: View of stakeholes at eastern corner of trough from west. .........................................................21
Plate 5: View of timbers at south-western side of trough from north-east. .............................................22
Plate 6: Post-excavation of trough from south-west. ..............................................................................22
Copyright Notice: Please note that all original information contained within this report,
including all original drawings, photographs, text and all other printed matter deemed to be
the writer’s, remains the property of the writer, Eachtra Archaeological Projects and Cork
County Council and so may not be reproduced or used in any form without written consent.
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5. E2118 Scartbarry, Co. Cork ISSUE 6: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237
i Project details
Project N8 Rathcormac Fermoy Bypass
Site Name Scartbarry 6
Site Type Fulacht Fiadh
Ministerial Order No. AO14/002
E Number E2118
Licensee John Tierney
Townland Scartbarry
Nat. Grid Ref. 1783310 087370
Report Type Excavation Report
Report Status Final Report
Date of Submission April 2006
Distribution Ken Hanley, Project Archaeologist Cork County Council,
Dept. of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, National Museum of Ireland, Cork Ar-
chaeological Survey Office, and Direct Route (Fermoy) Construction Ltd.
ii Non Technical Summary
Eachtra Archaeological Projects were engaged to monitor works within previously untested or unre-
solved locations along the route of the new N8 Rathcormac/Fermoy bypass. These works occurred
both within and outside the extents of the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO). External works were
monitored under State Licence 04E0948, while internal works were appointed individual works num-
bers by the Project Archaeologist of the Cork National Road Design Office.
External works included the construction of haul roads, temporary diversion roads and the preparation
of topsoil tip sites. These works were monitored by Eachtra on behalf of Roadbridge Ltd. in the town-
lands of Maulane East, Kilbrien, Curraghprevin, Fermoy, Mondaniel and Ballybrowney, between June
and December 2004. Tip sites, within which no groundworks took place, were also archaeologically
assessed in the months of June and July 2004. Between January and March of 2005, further external
works were supervised in the townlands of Rath-Healy and Fermoy. Archaeological sites were subse-
quently excavated in the townlands of Ballybrowney Lower, Fermoy, Scartbarry and Gortore.
This report details the excavation of a Bronze Age fulacht fiadh at Scartbarry under Ministerial Order
AO14/002.
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6. E2118 Scartbarry, Co. Cork ISSUE 6: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237
1 Introduction
Eachtra Archaeological Projects were engaged to monitor works within previously untested or unre-
solved locations along the route of the new N8 Rathcormac to Fermoy bypass, between June 2004 and
March 2005. These works occurred both within and outside the extents of the Compulsory Purchase
Order (CPO). External works were monitored under State Licence 04E0948, while internal works
were appointed individual works numbers by the Project Archaeologist of the Cork National Road
Design Office.
External works included the construction of haul roads, temporary diversion roads and the preparation
of topsoil tip sites. These works were monitored by Eachtra on behalf of Roadbridge Ltd. in the town-
lands of Maulane East, Kilbrien, Curraghprevin, Fermoy, Mondaniel and Ballybrowney, between June
and December 2004. Tip sites, within which no groundworks took place, were also archaeologically
assessed in the months of June and July 2004. Between January and March of 2005, further external
works were supervised in the townlands of Rath-Healy and Fermoy. Archaeological sites were subse-
quently excavated in the townlands of Ballybrowney Lower, Fermoy, Scartbarry and Gortore.
This report details the results of the excavation at Scartbarry under Ministerial Order A014/002.
1.1 Scope of the Fermoy/Rathcormac bypass project
The N8 Rathcormac/Fermoy Bypass is approximately 17.5 km in length. It will extend from the north-
ern end of the new N8 Glanmire–Watergrasshill road, in the townland of Meenane, passing west of
Rathcormac and east of Fermoy, towards its convergence with the existing N8 Cork-Dublin Road at
Moorepark West to the north (Figure 1).
The results of archaeological research conducted to date, as part of the N8 Rathcormac/ Fermoy By-
pass Project, are documented in the following reports:
• An Archaeological Assessment of N8 South Watergrasshill – Fermoy, by Sheila Lane & Associ-
ates, March 2001
• N8 Watergrasshill – Fermoy Bypass, Archaeological Assessment: Fieldwalking, by Sheila Lane
& Associates, June 2001
• Built Heritage, Chapter 10, N8 Rathcormac/Fermoy Bypass, Environmental Impact State-
ment by Sheila Lane & Associates
These reports identified fourteen areas of archaeological potential which required investigation/resolu-
tion.
A centreline archaeological testing strategy uncovered a further 47 potential archaeological sites, de-
tailed in the following reports:
• Archaeological Testing Report, Final Report Vol. 1 & 2, N8 Rathcormac to Fermoy Bypass,
by Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd. May – July 2002
• Additional Archaeological Testing N8 Rathcormac to Fermoy Bypass Scheme by Donald
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7. E2118 Scartbarry, Co. Cork ISSUE 6: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237
Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Archaeological test excavations were undertaken on all but 1.1 km of the 17.5 km route in response to
the initial survey results. Forty-two sites of archaeological potential were identified and subsequently
resolved. These sites comprised enclosure sites, early medieval ringforts, prehistoric fulachta fiadh,
hearths, a cremation pit, prehistoric settlements, medieval settlement, a demesne wall and a lime
kiln.
1.1 Circumstances of discovery
Eachtra Archaeological Projects were appointed by the PPP (Private Public Partnership) Company,
Direct Route (Fermoy) Construction Ltd., to monitor internal works within the remaining 1.1 km of
untested road take and to monitor external works associated with road construction. In the course of
these works, three fulachta fiadh were discovered and excavated in the townlands of Fermoy (NGC
181441 096233), Fermoy Wood (NGC 181441 096233) and Scartbarry (NGC 178310 087370) re-
spectively (Figure 2). The remains of a brushwood platform or possible trackway were excavated in
Ballyoran bog (NGC 181405 095852). The skeletal remains of at least six Giant Irish Deer were also
retrieved from unspecified locations within Ballyoran bog. A ringditch (NGC 179129 090559) was
discovered and excavated in the townland of Ballybrowney and a prehistoric house site was excavated
at Gortore (NGC 181815 101661). The preliminary results of these investigations were submitted in
report format to the PPP Company and to the NRA Project Archaeologist on a monthly basis (Kelly
2004).
1.2 Date and duration of excavation works
The excavation of the fulacht fiadh at Scartbarry commenced on 15/12/2004 under Ministerial Order
A014/002 and was completed on the 28/01/2005.
1.3 Size and composition of the excavation team
The archaeological excavation team consisted of the licence holder, one supervisor, three site assistants.
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8. E2118 Scartbarry, Co. Cork ISSUE 6: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237
2 Receiving Environment
2.1 The Natural Landscape
The landscape between Watergrasshill and Moorepark, through which the new M8 will navigate,
generally comprises gently rolling, open farmland, combined with wooded river valleys and Old Red
Sandstone ridges. The new route will traverse a total of seven watercourses, the principal of which
are the Rivers Bride and Blackwater. Brown podzolics, which are particularly suited to pasture and
constitute the predominant soil type within Cork County, dominate the region concerned. The geol-
ogy of the route broadly consists of glacial deposits with some alluvial sediments in the river valleys.
Low-lying areas are occasionally peaty. The road scheme commences on the northern edge of the
Watergrasshill Anticline, which comprises purple mudstone and some sandstone of the Ballytrasna
Formation (a sub-type of Devonian Old Red Sandstone) (Sleeman and McConnell 1995). From there
it continues across the Bride River valley which is founded on Waulsortian limestone (GSI Sheet 22,
Bedrock Geology 1:100,000 map). To the west of Rathcormac village, where the mainline traverses
the higher ground of the Bride valley, the Waulsortian limestone is supplanted by the red and purple
mudstones and pale red sandstones of the Ballytrasna Formation (ibid.). To the north, the Bride valley
is flanked by an extension of the Nagles Mountains comprising a sandstone ridge. Having traversed
this ridge, the mainline then descends into the limestone region of the Blackwater River valley before
concluding its course in the Knockmealdown Sandstone formation of the Kilworth Mountains (ibid.).
Predominantly sandstone-based Quaternary sediments, ‘deposited from glacier ice or glacial meltwater
flowing from the ice’ (Sleeman and McConnell 1995, 1) overlie the bedrock geology of the motorway
route.
The northern extents of the new road scheme traverse the eastern side of the North Cork area, while
the bulk of the route lies within East Cork. Volume 2 of the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork
pertains to the East and South Cork regions (Power et al. 1994). This volume records a total of 2717
archaeological monuments within these divisions of the county. Over a quarter of the sites recorded
in this volume date to the prehistoric period and the majority of these prehistoric sites constitute
fulachta fiadh. Approximately 45% of the monuments recorded in Volume 2 comprise Early Medieval
sites, with ringforts constituting the most common site type of this period. Only 14% of the recorded
monuments date to the medieval period. Volume 4 of the archaeological inventory series encompasses
the North Cork region and records a total of 5496 monuments within the area (Power et al. 2000).
Over 40% of the monuments recorded in this volume constitute prehistoric sites, of which 1626 com-
prise fulachta fiadh. A further 40% of the monuments in this area constitute Early Medieval sites such
as ringforts, enclosures, souterrains and ecclesiastical centres. The later Medieval period is represented
by a mere 8.5% of the monuments recorded.
2.2 The Human Landscape
The earliest known human occupation of Ireland dates to the Mesolithic period (c. 7000-4000 BC).
There is no known evidence for Mesolithic activity within the area affected by the road take. However,
the Blackwater Valley has yielded some confirmation of Mesolithic activity along its banks, in the form
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9. E2118 Scartbarry, Co. Cork ISSUE 6: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237
of flint scatters at Castleblagh and Kilcummer Lower (Power et al. 2000, 2). These sites are located
between 10 km and 12 km from the new motorway mainline.
There is greater evidence for later prehistoric activity within the environs of the road take however.
A number of fulachta fiadh, which have been listed in the Record of Monuments and Places, occur
within close proximity of the bypass. Fulachta fiadh have been interpreted as ancient cooking places,
usually surviving as ‘small horseshoe-shaped mounds of charcoal-enriched soil packed with fragments
of heat-shattered stones’ (Power et al. 1994, 24). Where these features have been truncated through
ploughing, they appear as black spreads. They are generally situated close to a water source (ibid.) such
as streams or marshy terrain. They comprise a water-filled trough or rectangular pit, lined with either
timber planks or stone (ibid.) in which food was cooked. Water in the trough was heated by ‘rolling
hot stones into it from a fire close by’ (ibid.). Once immersed in boiling water, experiments have shown
that meat wrapped in straw ‘cooked at a rate of twenty minutes per pound weight’ (ibid.). The heat-
shattered stones were removed from the trough after cooking and deposited to the side. After many
cooking episodes, these stones formed a mound surrounding three sides of the trough. There are over
300 of these monuments in the east and south Cork region, recorded in the Archaeological Inventory
of County Cork Vol II (Power et al. 1994). Three of these monuments occur within the townland of
Skahanagh North (CO053-091). Further clusters of these monuments occur in Ballinaltig (CO053-
067, 068), Coolcarron (CO035-075, 077), and to the southeast of Corrin Hill (CO035-050, 058, 068,
070). Another example of has been recorded at Ballynoe (CO035-081). In Ballyoran, a fulacht fiadh
listed as CO035-057, occurs approximately 60 m from the centreline of the route. It is described in
the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork (Volume 2) as being a truncated mound of burnt mate-
rial measuring 20 m x 16 m x 0.3 m deep (Power et al. 1994, 28). During the centreline test excava-
tions of the road corridor, further fulachta fiadh were encountered and subsequently resolved by ACS
Ltd. These included ‘Corrin 4’, excavated under licence 03E1463, and two burnt mounds at ‘Corrin
6’, excavated under licence number 03E1636 (NRA Discoveries). A further two fulachta fiadh were
excavated by Eachtra Archaeological Projects at Scartbarry under Ministerial Order A014/002 and at
Fermoy Wood under licence 04E1014.
The remains of a ring-barrow were also discovered during the advanced archaeological testing of the
route corridor at Skahanagh North, to the northeast of Watergrasshill (NRA Archaeological Discover-
ies). These prehistoric monuments comprise a low, ‘usually circular mound or level area, enclosed by a
fosse and external bank’ (Power et al. 1994, 55). Burial deposits, often in the form of a cremation and
‘sometimes enclosed in a stone box or cist’ have been uncovered within these features during excava-
tion (ibid.). These burial forms have been assigned to the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages (ibid.).
Corrin Hill is a prominent vista within the landscape surrounding the road take. The summit of the
hill is dominated by a Bronze-Age burial cairn, which when investigated in the 1830s, was found to
contain two burials (Doody 1999, 103). A further addition to the apex of this hill is a hillfort known
as ‘Carn Tigherna’ or ‘Carntierna’. Hillforts date from the Late Bronze Age into the Iron Age (500
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10. E2118 Scartbarry, Co. Cork ISSUE 6: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237
BC – 500 AD). The monument concerned is one of just three sites in North Cork which conforms
to Raftery’s definition of a ‘hillfort’ (Power et al. 2000, 205). The fort has been disturbed on its east-
ern side, but formerly stood to a height of 19 feet in 1886 (Power quoting Ó Murchú, ibid., 178). A
Discovery Programme survey carried out in 1995, revealed additional features such as complex exter-
nal earthworks and entrances which were previously unrecorded (www.discoveryprogramme.ie). The
Claidh Dubh, a linear earthwork measuring 22.5 km in length (Power et al. 2000, 203), occurs to the
west of the fort, stretching from the Nagles Mountains to the Ballyhoura Hills, crossing the Blackwa-
ter approximately 11 km to the west of Fermoy. Such earthworks are believed to have defended tribal
boundaries (ibid.). Doody’s investigations of the Claidh Dubh have shown that it dates prior to 100
AD (www.excavations.ie). The contemporaneity and proximity of the hillfort at Corrin to the Claidh
Dubh could suggest that this area was a centre of regional or provincial power in the Iron Age. During
centreline test excavations carried out by ACS Ltd., a probable Bronze Age settlement complex was
discovered and subsequently excavated by Eamonn Cotter under licence 03E1058. This site, located
between Chainages 5920-6130 in the townland of Ballybrowney Lower, predominantly comprised
four enclosures and four houses (NRA Archaeological Discoveries). Centreline testing also revealed
the remains of a possible Iron Age enclosure between Chainages 11180-11130 of the road take. This
was later excavated by Aidan O’Connell under licence 04E0912.
Prior to the Anglo-Norman invasion of the region, East Cork was dominated by the Uí Líatháin tribe.
The Uí Líatháin territory spanned an area extending south from the Corrin and Castlelyons region
towards Cork Harbour and east towards Lismore and Youghal. The main focus of settlement in this
period was the ringfort, described as a ‘circular or roughly circular area’, spanning 25-50 m in diameter
and ‘enclosed by an earthen bank’ (Power et al. 1994, 77). The archaeological excavation of these sites
has indicated that they served as defended farmsteads in the Early Medieval period (ibid.). Their earth-
works protected against ‘natural predators like wolves as well as the local warfare and cattle raiding
common at the time’ (ibid.). They are generally located on gentle hillslopes with commanding views
of the surrounding landscape. Few of these monuments are apparent towards the northern end of the
road scheme, however, concentrations of these structures occur on higher ground, for example, within
the Bride Valley. Recorded sites occur at Skahanagh North, Skahanagh South and at Scartbarry, as
well as at Mondaniel and Corrin. Some of these sites have been levelled and are only apparent through
cartographic analysis or in aerial photographs.
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3 Original Research Framework
The following issues will be addressed in this excavation report;
• The date of initial site occupation/abandonment.
• The absolute/relative chronology of site use in terms of phases and events.
• The extent of the archaeological site.
• The location of known contemporary sites.
• The extent of the viable economic catchment area in terms of sources of water, food, raw ma-
terials, transportation routes etc.
4 Excavation Results
4.1 Excavation Methodology
The area of the excavation measured 25 m from north to south and 20 m from east to west. A grid
was established in the area of excavation and the ground within it was cleaned by hand to locate and
identify all archaeological features. Each identified feature was excavated, planned, photographed and
recorded, with every fill and cut assigned a context number. Charcoal and soil samples were taken from
appropriate fills where necessary. All artefacts were retrieved, registered, bagged and labelled.
4.2 Full Stratigraphic Report
4.2.1 Stratigraphic Matrix
See Appendix 1 for the full stratagraphic matrix and Appendix 2 for context register.
4.2.2 Stratigraphic Sequencing
The archaeological site resolved in Scartbarry townland comprised a burnt mound, an associated
trough and stakeholes, a watercourse and its associated fills. The site is located in the southern confines
of Scartbarry forestry plantation, to the north of Scartbarry Road overbridge, and modern forestry
drains have truncated the archaeological features in some areas. An area 25 m from north to south by
20 m was originally identified during site clearance works at Scartbarry wood. The features excavated
have been separated into four groups, listed in roughly chronological order:
1. The burnt mound.
2. The trough and stakeholes.
3. The watercourse and associated fills
4. Modern forestry drains.
The burnt mound
The mound measured 9m NS by 8m EW and was on average 0.3m deep and it was located to the south
of a watercourse C.20 (Figure 5). The mound consisted of two layers C.6 and C.17. The main layer
C.6 was mid brownish grey soft silty clay, with 30% heat shattered pebbles and stones of varying sizes
(Plate 2). It was a combination of topsoil mixed with burnt mound material. This spread was only 0.2
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m deep and had clearly been subjected to machine truncation. C.17 was located in a natural hollow.
The trough and associated stakeholes
A hollow (C.76) probably natural in origin was partially located under the southwestern section of the
mound C.6. The area had been truncated by forestry activity. The area of the hollow measured c. 6m
NS by 4.4m EW but it extended beyond the area of the excavation to the west. It was truncated by
the two forestry drains, C.14 and C.16. The trough C.41 and a possible pit C.77 were located within
the area of the hollow. The hollow was filled with a re-deposited subsoil C.23 and a brown sandy clay
C.28
The rectangular trough C.41 measured 2.22m by 1.36m by 0.38m deep (Figure 6, Plate 3). The sides
of the trough were slightly undercut at the southeast and east and vertical elsewhere. The base was
flat and truncated by two stakeholes (C.53 and C.73). 14 fills (C.5, C.6, C.8, C.9, C.10, C.11, C.19,
C.22, C.24, C.25, C.35, C.36, C.37 and C.38) were recorded within the trough. The fills consisted of
re-deposited subsoil (C.11), burnt mound material (C.5 and C.6), deposits containing large quantities
of burnt stone (C.8, C.10 and C.25), peaty fills (C.9 and C.19) and sandy or silty clays (C.24. C.35,
C.36, C.37 and C.38).
The base and sides of the trough were lined with timber planks (C.22) (Figure 7, Plate 5). 15 timber
planks were recorded all of which are described in Appendix 4. The timbers are generally tangentially
split/converted and some have obvious tool marks, including axe facets (Timber V(c) and Timber
XIV). Some of the timbers retrieved from the trough display evidence of extensive burning, for exam-
ple Timber X, which was partially converted into charcoal on one side. This was not a plank lining
timber and the fact that it was charred suggests that it was not always positioned in the trough, below
the water table, as this would have protected it from damage by fire. However, one of the planks lining
the base of the trough did also demonstrate some slight patches of charring (Timber IV(b)). The planks
were packed into the trough with two packing fills (C.24 and C.25).
Three stakeholes (C.40, C.53 and C.73) were located in the base of the trough. The fills of the lat-
ter two were a mid greyish black silty clay. Stakehole C.40, containing a wooden stake, was inserted
through the timber lining C.22 in the base of the trough. The function of these stakes was presumably
to keep the wooden plank trough lining C.22 in place.
17 stakeholes (C.27, C.43, C.45, C.49, C.51, C.55, C.57, C.59, C.61, C.63, C.65, C.67, C.69, C.71,
C.75, C.79 and C.80) and a possible posthole (C.78) were located at the eastern corner of the trough
(Figure 6, Plate 4). The fills were generally mid greyish black silty clays. The stakeholes were for the
most part sub-circular in plan and measured on average 0.11m by 0.08 x 0.14 m in depth. Ten of the
stakeholes (C.27, C.43, C.45, C.49, C.55, C.59, C.61, C.69, C.71, and C.75) were orientated at an
angle, NW to SE, the remainder were vertical.
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Four stakeholes (C.30, C.32, C.34 and C.47) were located at the northern corner of the trough C.41.
The stakeholes were similar in size and morphology to those on the eastern corner. The fills were mid
greyish black silty clays. The stakeholes were generally sub-circular in plan and measured 0.1m by
0.07m by 0.13m in depth. 1 of the stakeholes (C.34) was orientated at an angle, NE to SW, the re-
mainder were vertical.
The eastern section of a possible pit (C.77) was recorded 0.6m southwest of the trough. It had been
truncated by the forestry drain C.16. No hearth was recorded in vicinity of the mound or the trough
but it could have been truncated by activity associated with the forestry.
The Watercourse
A portion of a dried up or back filled watercourse C.20 was recorded to the north of the mound
(Figure 5). The water originally contained in cut C.20 may have been used to fill the trough. A drain/
spring is marked to the immediate north of the site on the six-inch OS map sheet CO053. This could
represent the watercourse C.20 (Figure 3).The watercourse measured c. 27 m in length by 12.5 m in
width. Five fills (C.3, C.4, C.7, C.18 and C.21) were recorded in the cut. C.4 was a light yellowish
brown firm clayey silt which was the result of natural silting up of the cut; C.3, C.7 and C.18 were had
accumulated or been dumped into C.20, perhaps during forestry works, and C.21 was a mid greyish
brown hard sandy clay.
Modern forestry drains
Two modern forestry drains, C.14 and C.16, were orientated from northwest to southeast across the
site (Figure 5). C.14 truncated the eastern side of trough C.41, and C.16 truncated the western side
of C.77, a possible pit, and burnt mound material C.5. C.14 is filled with C.13 and C.16 is filled with
C.15, a mid brownish grey soft stoney silt, and hard sandy clay respectively.
4.2.1 Stratigraphic Discussion
A truncated burnt mound, associated trough and stake-holes were located on the southern side of a
dried-up or diverted watercourse. It is possible that water from the watercourse was originally used to
fill the trough, although the fact that organic remains were preserved at the base of the trough suggests
that it was waterlogged throughout its history, and that it may also have been self-filling.
No evidence of a hearth was recorded on site. After each heating episode at the trough the stones were
removed and deposited around the trough, resulting in the formation of layers (C.3, C.5, C.6, C.7,
C.8 and C.10) of burnt mound material. When the site had gone out of use the trough was backfilled,
probably both intentionally and naturally, and at a later stage the mound was levelled. Two forestry
drains (C.14 and C.16) were excavated across the site during the modern period and truncation due to
forestry machinery also took place.
The trough C.41 was located on the north-eastern side of a hollow (Plate 6) that was possibly natural
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in origin. The side and base of the trough were lined with well-fitted wooden planks. The trough was
apparently used as a vessel in which water was heated on a number of occasions. 21 stakeholes and
one possible posthole were located around the northeastern and southwestern corners of the trough
C.41. The distribution of the stakeholes is puzzling as 17 were located at the eastern corner and 4 at
the northern corner and none were recorded at the southern or western corners. Some of the stakeholes
were angled while others were vertical. They may have functioned as part of a spit or rack, a wind-
break screen or a cover for the trough. The stakes angled in towards the centre of the trough may have
functioned as a sort of spit from which an object (for example a piece of meat) was suspended into
the trough, keeping the object separate from the burnt stone accumulating at the base of the trough
and from the debris floating at the top of the water in the trough. Alternatively the stakes, could have
functioned as a windblock, effectively blocking the northeasterly wind. A screen may have been neces-
sary if the stones were being heated to the southwest or southeast of the trough, perhaps truncated by
machine during the forestry clearance. The screen would have blocked ash and cinders from blowing
onto whoever was heating the stones and placing them into the trough. Alternatively the trough may
have been partially or completely covered.
4.2.2 Stratigraphic Conclusion
The trough was probably the first cut feature on site. It was wood-lined and it was probably water-
logged throughout most of its history. This suggests that the trough was self-filling but water from
the watercourse nearby (now dried up) was probably used to supplement the trough when necessary.
Environmental remains from around the trough lining suggest a damp, open environment during the
time that the burnt mound was in use. The many stakeholes in the area around the trough suggest
repeated use of the site. The mound comprised two main deposits of burnt stones, suggesting that there
were at least two episodes of trough use, as but this was severely truncated and the site was probably
originally much more extensive.
4.3 Radiocarbon dates
Radiocarbon dates were returned from the Radiocarbon Laboratory at Queens University Belfast.
The two dates returned were accelerator dates obtained from samples of charcoal. The dates were late
Bronze Age.
Lab. Code Sample Material Context No. Yrs BP Calibrated Dates
2 sigma
UB-6778 Charcoal 29 2570 +- 38 cal BC 811-548
UB-6779 Charcoal 34 2499 +- 37 cal BC 789-419
4.4 Cultural Material
There were no artefacts retrieved from the site
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4.5 Environmental Evidence
Samples taken from the burnt mound were analysed for evidence of seeds, both charred and water-
logged (Appendix 3). Charred seeds were absent from the samples: a noticeable absence from the
majority of burnt mound sites. Waterlogged seeds were retrieved from two samples, taken close to the
wooden lining of the trough and were identified as representative of the local environment at the time
(e.g. sedges, members of the buttercup family and bramble, dock and nettle) suggesting a damp and
open environment; the typical location of a burnt mound.
5 Discussion
Burnt mounds are the most common Bronze Age sites found in Ireland. The characteristic site-type
is found in low-lying/damp ground and consists of a mound of charcoal-rich black sediment that is
packed with heat-shattered stones and forms a horseshoe-shape around a pit or trough that filled with
water. In many cases, however, all that survives to the present day are black spreads with fragments of
shattered stones visible in ploughed fields.
The discovery of burnt stones and a lined trough near a water source indicates that hot stone technol-
ogy was used on the site. This technology is traditionally associated with burnt mounds or Bronze Age
cooking spots. Water was heated by placing hot rocks into a water filled trough. The wrapped meat
was then placed in the water and cooked. Experiments carried out by M.J. O’Kelly, who excavated
Ballyvourney I, Co. Cork in 1954, found that 450 litres of water in a trough boiled in 30-35 minutes
and cooked 4.5kg of mutton in less than 4 hours (1954). Burnt stone spreads however may have been
the by-product of a variety of different activities where hot water was required. Other theories on their
use include bathing and dyeing textiles together with the production of hot water and steam for cura-
tive purposes and sweat houses (Ó Drisceoil 1988). All of these suggestions are speculative as there is
virtually no conclusive scientific evidence to prove or disprove theories about how the sites were used.
Not all excavated burnt mounds have wood lined troughs or even pits that can be interpreted as pits for
heating water. Stone lined examples have also been found for example at Reenarea, Valentia, Co. Kerry
(Mitchell 1990). It is therefore logical that burnt stone technology was used for different purposes. It is
likely that burnt stone technology was used for a variety of purposes from industrial to gastronomic.
Radiocarbon dating of these sites have produced Bronze Age dates ranging from 3,800 to 2,400BP
(Brindley and Lanting 1990). Radiocarbon dates of cal BC 811-548 (UB-6778) and cal BC 789-419
(UB-6779) were returned from C.29 and C.34, respectively.
A comparative timber plank-lined trough was found nearby at Fermoy (NRA Archaeological Discov-
eries); while another timber trough, further south at Killydonoghoe, was made out of a hollowed-out
oak trunk (NRA Archaeological Discoveries). While many examples are excavated without surviving
evidence for wooden lining, where wood is found it is more likely to be plank-lined, as at Scartbarry.
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6 Assessment of Archaeological Potential & Significance
The archaeological potential for this late Bronze Age fulacht fiadh is moderate. Analysis of the environ-
mental samples retrieved, including the trough timbers, furnished a radiocarbon date of cal BC 804-
548 (UB-6778) and cal BC 766-419 (UB-6779) for the site as well as an indication of the associated
prehistoric environment, which was open and damp, similar to present day conditions. Excavation of
the site at Scartbarry has added to our understanding of the prehistoric landscape in the area as, when
combined with results from previous archaeological work in the area, it demonstrates that it was fre-
quently used as a location for heating stones and water. Twelve burnt mounds were identified during
earlier work on the Rathcormac-Fermoy Road Scheme including a unique stone-lined trough and hut
site within the townland of Scartbarry (NRA Archaeological Discoveries). There are also three burnt
mounds within the townland of Skahanagh North (CO053-091) and a cluster of four burnt mounds
in Ballinaltig (CO044-067 & 068). These results suggests occupation on a long-term, although per-
haps intermittent, basis from around the Early Bronze Age.
7 Conclusion
The site at Scartbarry has been identified as a Late Bronze Age burnt mound where hot stone technol-
ogy was used but there is no definite evidence from this site to indicate the specific purpose of heating
stones and water in the area; the technology could have been utilised in a variety of processes from
cooking and bathing to fulling, felting, boat building and many other industrial processes. The site
is just one of many similar monuments that have been discovered in the general area in recent years
and it contributes to the widespread evidence for use of hot stones and water in the area in prehistory.
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8 References
Brindley, A.L. and Lanting, J.N. (1990) The dating of fulachta fiadh in Buckley, V. (ed.) Burnt
Offerings, 55-58.
Lane, S. (2001) An Archaeological Assessment of N8 South Watergrasshill – Fermoy. Unpublished Sheila
Lane & Associates Archaeological Report.
Lane, S. (2001) N8 Watergrasshill – Fermoy Bypass, Archaeological Assessment: Fieldwalking.
Unpublished Sheila Lane & Associates Archaeological Report.
Luas, A.T. (1965) Washing and bathing in ancient Ireland in JRSAI 95, 65-114.
Mitchell, F. (1990) Early Bronze Age fulachts on Valentia Island in Buckley, V. (ed.) Burnt Offerings,
24-26.
Murphy, D. (2002) Final Report Volume 1: Archaeological Testing, N8 Rathcormac to Fermoy Bypass
Scheme. Unpublished Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd. Report.
NRA Archaeological Discoveries leaflet for the N8 Rathcormac-Fermoy Road Scheme.
O’Drisceoil, D. (1988) Burnt Mounds: cooking or bathing? Antiquity 62, 671-680.
O’ Kelly, M. (1989) Early Ireland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Power, D., Byrne, E., Egan, U., Lane, S., Sleeman, M. (1994) Archaeological Inventory of County
Cork. Vol II East & South Cork. The Stationery Office, Dublin.
Power , D., Byrne, E., Egan, U., Lane, S., Sleeman, M. with Cotter, E and Monk, J. (2000) Archaeological
Inventory of County Cork. Vol IV North Cork. The Stationery Office, Dublin.
Sleeman, A.G. & McConnell B. (1995) Geology of East Cork – Waterford. Geological Survey of
Ireland.
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20. E2118 Scartbarry, Co. Cork ISSUE 6: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237
Legend
Pre-historic
Medieval
Post-Medieval
Not dated
A014-002
ScartBarry
NGC 178314 0
087379
Figure 3: Portion of RMP sheet CO035 showing location of Scartbarry excavation.
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N
C.2
Wat 0
er cour
se
14,18
E 178314
N 87379
14,18
C.14
GP
C.6
Tro
C.5 C.41 ugh
06,10
Wat
er
cour
C.1
6 C.7 GP
6
se
14,10
Forestry Drain
14,10
For
est
ry
Dr
E 178311
a in
N 87370
1m
0
5m
Figure 4: Portion of route of N8 Rathcormac Fermoy showing location of Scartbarry excavation.
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22. E2118 Scartbarry, Co. Cork ISSUE 6: Eachtra Journal - ISSN 2009-2237
N
C.20
Watercourse
14,18
E 178314
N 87379
C.14
GP
W
at
er
co
C.6
ur
se
Trough
C.41
C.5
06,10 14,10
GP E 178311
N 87370
C.76
Fo
st
re
C.16 ry
D ra i
n
For
est
ry D
rai
n
1m 0 5m
Figure 5: Post-excavation plan of fulacht fiadh, watercourse C.20 and forestry drains C.14 & C.16.
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C.14 �
10,13
C.46
C.34
C.30
C.32
A
C.27
C.71
C.69
C.49
C.75 C.61
C.45 C.79
C.43 C.65
C.41 C.55
C.80
C.57 C.59
C.78 C.63
C.73
C.51
B
XVI
C.53
XIV
C.76
10,10
A B
50 cm 0 50 cm
Figure 6: Post-excavation plan and section of trough C.41 and associated stakeholes.
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N
XV
A
10,11
I
IX
VI
II
III
XII
XIII C.24
IV
X
XI V
VIII
VII
C.25 B
XVI C.24
XIV
10,13
A B
50 cm 0 50 cm
Figure 7: Mid-excavation plan and section of timber lining in trough.
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10 Plates
Plate 1: View of portion of in-filled watercourse C.20, forestry drains and forestry in
background.
Plate 2: View of burnt mound layer C.6.
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Plate 3: Post-excavation of trough from southwest.
Plate 4: View of stakeholes at eastern corner
of trough from west.
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Plate 5: View of timbers at south-western side of trough from north-east.
Plate 6: Post-excavation of trough from south-west.
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11.2 Appendix 2: Context List
Context Fill of Filled with Above Below Description Interpretation Plan No. Sample
1 Topsoil none
2 Subsoil
3 20 4 6 Dark greyish brown silty clay, firm Burnt mound 1,2
compaction with c.15% coarse pebbles material.
and c.25% small angular heat shat-
tered stones. Dimensions: 25.6m N-S,
16.75m E-W and 0.30m deep.
4 20 7 3 Light yellowish brown, clayey silt, firm Natural silt
compaction with c.5% angular coarse accumulation
pebbles and c.8% small angular stones. in water-
Dimensions: 18m N-S, 6.27m E-W course
and 0.36m deep.
5 22 8 6 Light greyish black silty clay, soft Burnt mound
compaction with 60% heat shattered material.
angular pebbles and stones averaging
0.08m in size. Dimensions: 8.64m N-
S, 6.12m E-W and 0.25m deep.
6 3 1 Mid brownish grey silty clay, soft Burnt mound 3
compaction with 30% heat shattered material.
pebbles and stones varying in size from
0.03m to 0.12m. Dimensions: 7.63m
N-S, 8.60m E-W and 0.20m deep.
7 20 2 4 Dark greyish brown sandy clay, firm Burnt mound 4
compaction with c.15% coarse pebbles material.
and c.25% small angular heat shattered
stones. Dimensions: 0.86m N-S, 0.83m
E-W and 0.27m deep.
8 22 9 5 Light yellowish grey clayey silt, stiff Fill of trough
compaction with c.14% heat shattered
pebbles and stones varying in size be-
tween 0.02m and 0.12m. Dimensions:
2.61m N-S, 2.17m E-W and 0.18m
deep.
9 22 19 8 Light yellowish brown peaty silt, soft Fill of trough
compaction with 5% coarse pebbles
and 4% small stones.Dimensions:
1.72m N-S, 0.82m E-W and 0.08m
deep.
10 41 15 11 Mid greyish brown stony clay, hard Fill of hollow
compaction with 60- 70% heat shat-
tered coarse pebbles and small stones.
Dimensions: 4.62m N-S, 2.47 E-W
and 0.21m deep.
11 16 10 1 Mid greyish pink silty clay, firm com- Redeposited
paction with 14% subangular coarse natural.
pebbles and stones. Dimensions: 2.63m
N-S, 0.84m E-W and 0.25m deep.
12 16 15 Mid pinkish brown sandy clay, stiff Redeposited
compaction with 5% angular and natural.
subangular medium and small pebbles.
Dimensions; 1.97m N-S, 0.86m E-W,
0.32m deep
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Context Fill of Filled with Above Below Description Interpretation Plan No. Sample
13 14 14 1 Mid greyish brown stony silt, soft Fill of forestry
compaction with 8% subangular me- drain
dium and coarse pebbles.Dimensions;
30.14m N-S, 0.52m E-W, 0.41m deep.
14 13 6 13 Roughly linear in plan, aligned nw-se, Cut of for-
steep sides, concave base. Dimensions; estry drain
30.14m NW-SE, 0.52m E-W, 0.41m
deep.
15 16 12 1 Mid greyish brown sandy clay, hard Fill of field
compaction, with 6% angular medium drain
and coarse pebbles.
16 15 5 12 Roughly linear in plan, aligned nw-se, Cut of field
steep sides, concave base. Dimensions; drain
14.13m NW-SE, 0.62m E-W, 0.66m
deep.
17 17 20 6 Dark greyish black sandy clay, stiff Fulacht
compaction, with c. 35% angular spread in
medium and coarse pebbles, and small natural de-
stones. Dimensions; 4.12m N-S, 3.2m pression.
E-W, 0.21m deep.
18 18 20 21 Dark greyish black sandy clay, stiff Fulacht
compaction, with c. 35% angular spread in
medium and coarse pebbles, and small natural de-
stones. Dimension; 1.2m N-S, 1.32m pression.
E-W, 0.11m deep.
19 41 19 35 9 Dark brownish black silty peat, soft Fill of trough 3
compaction. c.30% angular medium
and coarse pebbles,and small stones.
Small pieces of trough timbers pre-
served in fill. Dimensions; 1.15m N-S,
1.52m E-W, 0.15m deep
20 21,18,7,4,3 2 18 Aligned NW-SE, west side steep, east Cut of water 7
side gentle, break of slope base west course
sharp, break of slope east imperceptible.
Dimensions; 21.68m NW-SE, 4.65m
EW, 0.58m.
21 18 3 Mid greyish brown sandy clay, hard Redeposited
compaction, with 6% angular medium natural in wa-
and coarse pebbles.Dimensions; 1.04m tercourse
N-S, 0.92m E-W, 0.14m deep.
22 41 25 19 Cut timber planks, laid at base and Trough tim- 5
sides of trough. Upright posts also bers
present. These have been labelled (I) to
(XV).
23 76 28 5 mid pinkish grey, sandy clay, hard com- Redeposited
paction with 24% angular medium and natural.
coarse pebbles . Dimensions; 3.12m
N-S, 0.32m E-W, and 0.52m deep.
24 41 25 9 Dark greyish black silty clay, soft com- fill of trough
paction. 5% angular medium pebbles.
Dimensions; 0.42m N-S, 0.36m E-W,
0.11m deep.
25 41 37 24 mid brownish grey silty clay, firm Fill of trough 5
compaction with 43% heat shattered
pebbles and stones varying in size from
0.03m to 0.12m. Dimensions: 1.56m
N-S, 0.62m E-W and 0.32m deep.
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Context Fill of Filled with Above Below Description Interpretation Plan No. Sample
26 27 27 5 mid greyish black silty clay, firm com- stakehole fill
paction with frequent angular medium
pebbles, occasional angular coarse
pebbles, and occasional charcoal flecks.
Dimensions; 0.22m N-S, 0.21m E-W,
0.40m
27 26 2 26 Set vertically into natural outside se stakehole cut 7
corner of trough. Circular in plan,
smooth sides and pointed base. Dimen-
sions; 0.22m N-S, 0.21. E-W, 0.41m
deep.
28 76 76 23 Dark greyish brown sandy clay stiff Fill of hollow
compaction, with c.35% angular
medium and coarse pebbles. Flecks of
charcoal present. Dimensions; 1.56m
N-S, 0.88m E-W, 0.12m deep.
29 30 30 5 Mid greyish black silty clay, firm Fill of stake- 6 7
compaction,with c.25% angular me- hole.
dium and coarse pebbles. Dimensions;
0.12m N-S, 0.1m E-W, 0.18m deep.
30 2 29 Set vertically into natural outside se Cut of stake- 6
corner of trough. Circular in plan, hole (bf)
smooth sides and pointed base. Dimen-
sions; 0.12m N-S, 0.16m E-W, 0.18m
deep.
31 32 32 5 Mid greyish black silty clay, firm Fill of stake- 6 8
compaction,with c.25% angular me- hole.
dium and coarse pebbles. Dimensions;
0.11m N-S, 0.06m E-W, 0.13m deep.
32 31 2 31 Set vertically into natural outside se cut of stake- 6
corner of trough. Circular in plan, hole
smooth sides and pointed base. Dimen-
sions; 0.11m N-S, 0.06m E-W, 0.13m
deep.
33 33 34 5 Mid greyish black silty clay, firm com- Fill of stake- 6 9
paction, with C.25% angular medium hole.
and coarse pebbles, some wood pieces
also present. Dimensions; 0.11m N-S,
0.06m E-W, 0.13m deep.
34 33 2 33 Set c.60º into natural pointing towards cut of stake- 6
centre of trough, Circular in plan, hole
smooth sides and pointed base. Dimen-
sions; 0.11m N-S, 0.06m E-W, 0.13m
deep.
35 41 41 22 light pinkish brown sand, loose com- sand layer in 10
paction. Small trough timber pieces in trough
fill. Dimensions; 1.80m N-S, 1.27m
E-W, amd 0.02m deep.
36 41 41 35 Dark greyish black silty clay, very soft fill of trough
compaction. Dimensions; 1.80m N-S,
1.27m E-W, 0.01m deep.
37 41 41 35 mid grey sandy silt, soft compaction, fill of trough
with moderate sub- angular and occa-
sional sub-angular small and medium
stones. Dimensions; 0.90m N-S, 0.40m
E-W, 0.27m deep.
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