Kiln - corn-drying

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a small N-S ridge in a gently undulating landscape. A geophysical survey by Bartlett-Clark (2002) in advance of the M3 motorway noted anomalies which targeted archaeological testing (04E0580) by N. Fairburn (2004) at Testing Area 7 could identify as archaeological features (excavations.ie 2004:1190). A large area of 3.2 ha was fully resolved (E003107) within the road-take by L. Clarke and T. Connell jointly over ten months beginning in June 2006 as Boyerstown 3 (excavations.ie 2006:1518; 2007:1269) as two archaeological areas separated by a NNE-SSW current field bank and drain, Area 1 to the SE and Area 2 to the NW.

The principal findings are a series of subrectangular fields with rounded corners dating from the seventh to ninth centuries AD that are associated with a circular enclosure (ME025-088001-) which was almost completely outside the excavated area at W and is probably a rath. The remains of a second circular enclosure (ME025-088002-), also probably a rath, were within the excavation but it was so truncated that its context is difficult to establish. A small circular structure (ME025-088003-) outside the fields at S and four cereal-drying kilns (ME025-088004-) are closely contemporary but a Bronze Age hut-site (ME025-088006-) in a palisaded enclosure (ME025-088005-) are also recorded outside the field system at SE.

KILNS: A figure-of-eight kiln (dims 2.25m x 1.23m; D 0.28) with an oxidised base cuts the slot-trench of Enclosure (ME025-088003-) at NE. A larger figure-of-eight kiln (dims 2.6m x 1.2m; D 0.31m) with three layers of varying amounts of oxidized material was within the enclosure. A sample of apple charcoal from the topmost fill yielded the C14 date of 685-892 cal. AD (Beta 247108) (Clarke 2009, 11-12). A figure-of-eight kiln (dims 2.7m x 1.48m; D 0.4m) c. 22m N of the preserved enclosure (ME025-088001-) had an oxidized base and four fills with either charred seeds or oxidized clays. A charred barley grain provided a C14 date of 565-666 cal. AD (Beta 247395). Another figure-of-eight kiln with a stone-lined flue provided a date of 662-869 cal. AD (Beta 247396) from an upper fill. It was located c. 15m SE of Field 2 of the field system. (Clarke 2009, 25-26, 42-5)

See the attached plans from Clarke (2009, figs 14, 19) _01 Enclosure with two kilns; _02 kiln plans

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 12 April, 2023

Clarke, L. 2009 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Boyerstown 3, Co. Meath. Licence: E003107. Final Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services