Kiln - corn-drying

The National Monuments Service's description

A figure-of-eight kiln (dims 1.75m x 0.61m; D 0.4m) had a lower fill of charcoal and upper of burnt red silty clay. A small adjacent pit (diam. 0.57m; D 0.2m) had a lower fill of compact red burnt clay beneath a loose grey brown silt, and a compact spread (dims 2.8m x 1.8m; T 0.28m) of red baked clay have similar material links it with the kiln. No cereals were recovered, but the charcoal was dominated by oak, a sample of which returned a C14 date of 2460-2210 cal. BC (UBA 12059) placing it in the Early Bronze Age (Kelly 2020, 5,6).

Three other figure-of-eight kilns (dims 2.35m x 1.1m; D 0.49m: 2.63m x 1.32m; D 0.29m: 2.6m x 1.1m; D 0.8m) were identified through their form, intense burning and charcoal-rich fills. Two of the kilns were within 5m of each other at the centre of the excavated area while the third was within an early medieval enclosure at the N of the area. Two were aligned N-S while the third was NW-SE. The cereals were dominated by barley followed by wheat and oats while hazel was the dominant wood used in firing the kilns followed by oak, ash and willow. A charred barley grain from one of them provided the C14 date of 427-570 cal. AD (UBA 12073) and the other two are probably from the same era. (Kelly 2010, 34-5)

See the attached site plan from Kellly (2010, fig. 6)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 March 2022

References

Kelly, A. 2010 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 4, Navan to Kells and Kells Bypass. Final Report on Archaeological Excavation of Grange 3, Co. Meath. Licence: E003123. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy