House - 16th/17th century

The National Monuments Service's description

The remains of this building were identified in the course of the excavation in 1959 by John Hunt of the mound (CL001-062006-). He described it as ‘running parallel with the line of the mound and close to its lower border’ which may be identified with its W edge as the trench that he opened for the excavation is recorded as been dug from the centre to the west, along a line E-W. The excavation exposed a foundation course built of brick and of uniform height (c. 0.6m): 'No displaced bricks were encountered in the immediate neighbourhood, and it appeared to be complete in height as originally built. This wall was well mortared and sat upon a stone and mortar foundation layer on the clay subsoil. There was a clay floor just below the level of the highest course of brick. The habitation level outside had been approximately 15 inches [0.38m] lower. Outside the line of the wall a layer of darker humus represented the habitation layer and over this a very dense black layer of burnt material sloping up the side of the mound. This lay also on the undisturbed clay of the fosse which had been formed when throwing up the spoil of which the mound was formed.’

Hunt interpreted the sequence of events at the site as follows: ‘The red brick foundation is that of a building of 16th century date. The dwarf wall foundation presumably supported a timber constructed building, probably the usual late Gothic or Tudor domestic form of timber with lath, and plaster filling. This building was destroyed by fire, and upon the debris was thrown a large amount of spoil obtained by digging a broad trench round the site of the proposed mound and piling it on the remains of the destroyed house. Both existing humus and the boulder clay of the subsoil were thrown up. Upon the mound so formed, some sort of wooden structure was erected. The evidence for this is seen in the dense black layer seen in the fosse and sloping up the sides of the mound, from the position evidently subsequent to the building of the mound and unrelated to the burned material laying about the house foundations.’

He considered that the mound was the gun emplacement for four cannon mentioned by Admiral Penn in his account of the defense of the castle in 1646 (O’Brien 1990). This position would have defended the broad deep channel of water then separating the castle from the high ground to the N. Hunt considered that ‘some sort of 'Herd' or fence of stout logs or perhaps gabions of basketwork and earth would presumably have been erected on the top edge of the mound to protect the guns and gunners from musket and cannon shot. The subsequent burning of this, after the capture of the castle by the confederates, would account for the burned material in its present position in the fosse.’ (Hunt 1959, 89).

The finds comprised ‘some fragments of brick mixed with the uppermost layers of the boulder clay on the mound. From the black layer lying directly above the floor of the house came an iron knife. From the burned layers above, came two plain white glazed fragments of delph or similar ware, fragments of a 17th century cooking pot, with internal glaze, and portion of a glass wine bottle. Close against the brick foundation wall, and possibly related in date to this structure was a fragment of salt glazed stone-ware of late 16th century type.’ (ibid.). (Bradley et al. 1988, 21)

Compiled by: Paul Walsh

Date of upload: 21 May 2014

References

Bradley, J., Halpin, A. and King, H.A. 1988 Urban archaeological survey - county Clare. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Hunt, J. 1959 Bunratty Mound. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 8, no. 2, 88-9.