Kiln - lime

The National Monuments Service's description

Limekilns were required for the building of the keep and the curtain walls, and evidence of at least seven were recovered in excavation. A large one that was built into the fosse of the ringwork at NW survived almost complete and would have provided most of the mortar for the keep. Its massive bowl (diam. of top 3.4m; diam. of base 2m; H 2.5m) is lined with limestone blocks that have largely fused. It had stone-lined flues at NE and SSW that narrowed towards the bowl, and it was used throughout the thirteenth century (Hayden 2011, 137-43, 149). Three seventeenth century limekilns were inside the S curtain wall and were associated with a re-fortification of the castle (Sweetman 1978, 152-5). An eighteenth century example with a rectangular stone-lined bowl had three flues, while another of the same era located NE of the keep featured in contemporary illustrations by Austin Cooper and Daniel Grose (Hayden 2011, 287-90; Pl. 4, 4; 4, 6).

Compiled by: Michael Moore

See the attached view of the thirteenth century kiln under excavation_1
A seventeenth century kiln under excavation_2

Date of upload: 11 July, 2019

References

Sweetman, P.D. 1978 Archaeological Excavations at Trim Castle, Co. Meath, 1971-74. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 78C, 127-98.

Hayden, A. 2011. Trim Castle, Co. Meath: Excavations 1995-8. Dublin, Stationary Office: Archaeological Monograph Series, No. 6.