Kiln - corn-drying

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight N-facing slope. Archaeological testing (04E0925) by J. Roynane (2005) at Testing Area 2 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway identified archaeological material (excavations.ie 2004:1245) that was excavated (E003125) by P. Lynch (2010) as Grange 1 in late July/August 2006 (excavations.ie 2007:1320) when a possible pit burial, this cereal-drying kiln and metalled surfaces were recorded in an area of just over 1500 square metres. The area was divided by a NE-SW ditch with the cereal-drying kiln just to its W. This was of the figure-of-eight form (dims 2.2m x 1m; D 0.18m) and had three fills consisting of an oxidized base of red/orange clay and heat-shattered stones beneath a dark brown charcoal-enriched soil and a brown/grey silty clay. The charred grain remains were dominated by barley, and a sample provided a C14 date of 428-549 cal. AD (UBA 11129). (Lynch 2010, 5-6)

See the attached site-plan adapted from Lynch (2010, fig. 5)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload; 24 March 2022

References

Roynane, J. 2005 M3 Clonee-North of Kells; Contract 4, Navan - Kells and Kells Bypass. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 2 in Grange, County Meath. Licence: 04E0925. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy

Lynch, P. 2010 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 4, Navan to Kells and Kells Bypass. Final Report on Grange 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003125. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy