Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Enclosure
Dunbell Big, County Kilkenny, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Dunbell Big
- County
- Kilkenny
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Hachured
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 52.61599, -7.17501
- SMR number
- KK024-014----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesUniversity Library, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1911 · Sheet 14, 1911 (University Library, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Indicated on the 1st (1840) ed. OS 6-inch map as a circular enclosure (diam. c. 40m) but not shown on the 1899-1902 revision of this map. It is visible as a sub-circular enclosure defined by a fosse on an aerial photograph (CUCAP ASW038, 17 July 1967). The monument was archaeologically excavated in1972 (License No. E000108) prior to its removal by quarrying (Foley 1972, 17; Foley 2006, 5-22). It was situated, ‘on the eastern tip of a ridge of dolomite, on the 210ft contour, with extensive views of the surrounding countryside and part of the Nore valley’ (ibid. 5).
The enclosure (overall diam. 56m) was defined by a rock-cut V-shaped fosse (overall Wth 5m; Wth at base 03m; D 2m) with no evidence of a bank (Foley 2006, 10, 18). The fosse appears to have been deliberately backfilled with loosely packed stones and finds included portion of an amber bead, fragment of a lignite bangle and a hone stone (ibid. 10). Though the monument had been levelled there were still the remains of a possible occupation layer with, ‘scattered patches of bright red, intensely burnt, earth’, as well as two intersecting arcs of post-holes or post-pits, a possible hearth and pits (ibid. 13). The excavator suggested an early medieval date for this enclosure based on the artefact assemblage and the monument’s similarity to an excavated ringfort (KK024-010001-) c. 290m to the NW, (ibid. 18). Other monuments in the vicinity include an enclosure (KK024-012----) c. 200m to the NE also quarried out and a ringfort (KK024-011----) c. 220m to the NNE.
See attached:
KK024-014----_01 aerial photograph (CUCAP ASW038, 17 July 1967)
Compiled by: Jean Farrelly
Date of upload: 10 November 2021
References
Foley, C. 1972 Dunbell: ringfort. In T. Delaney (ed.) Excavations 1972: summary accounts of archaeological work in Ireland, 17. Belfast. Association of Young Irish Archaeologists and Ulster Archaeological Society.
Foley, C. 2006 Excavation of a ringfort at Dunbell Big, Co. Kilkenny. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 136, 5-22.
Nearby in the register
- Deer parkunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.