Metalworking site

The National Monuments Service's description

Identified in centre-line testing (E4110) in advance of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy road scheme and set aside for resolution as Medophall 1 (Hardy et al. 2010, 46). It is situated on a gentle SW-facing slope. An extensive area (dims c. 50m x c. 30m) was excavated (E4263) by B. Sutton, but apart from post-medieval features the only medieval feature was a hook-shaped slot-trench (Wth 0.35m; 0.15-0.2m) which forms the NW (L 6.5m) and NE (L 4m) sides of a structure with a return (L c. 2m) of the trench at the SE end of the NE side. Two pits (dims 0.9m x 0.7m; D 0.05m: 0.53m x 0.4m; D 0.44m), 1.5m apart, are centrally placed at the NE end of the structure. All these features were severely truncated, but all contained slight traces of slag. While a sample from the smaller pit returned a C14 determination of cal. AD 976-1036, a sample from the slot-trench returned a C14 date of cal. AD 1414-1453. A sherd of Leinster cooking ware and a fragment of an iron key from a mounted lock were from an upper fill of the slot-trench, and it is likely that the earlier date may be from redeposited material (McNamara 2011; Sutton 2013; Eogan and Kelly 2016, 233-4)

Cmpiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 26 November, 2013

References

Sutton, B. 2013 Medophall 1: temporary metalworking site. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2010: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 251-2, No. 784. Dublin. Wordwell.

McNamara, M. 2011 M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme, Co. Wexford. E4263, Medophall 1. Stage (IV) Final Excavation Report for Wexford County Council. Unpublished report, TVAS (Ireland).

Hardy, C., Nugent, L., Homan Reid, R; O'Liathain, N; Whitty, Y.; and Coleman, C. 2010 N11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme. Archaeological Consultancy Services, Stage (1)a. E4110. Testing report for Wexford County Council. Unpublished. TVAS (Ireland).

Eogan, J. and Kelly, B. 2016. 'New Roads to Medieval Wexford.' in I. Doyle, and B. Browne Medieval Wexford: essays in memory of Billy Colfer, 211-40. Dublin, Four Courts Press