Charcoal-making site

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in the slight valley at the headwaters of a NE-SW stream. Archaeological testing (E004893) of an area required for the construction phase of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy motorway in January 2017 (Kavanagh 2017) identified archaeological features in three areas (excavations.ie 2017:147) which were excavated (E004922) in November 2017 as Monroe 6 (excavations.ie 2017:313), although one is probably post-medieval drainage that is not mapped. Area 1 consisted of a small pit (dims 1.22m x 0.85m; D 0.1m) filled with two layers of grey sand with charcoal flecks over a charcoal-rich silty sand which in turn was over an oxidised red clay. About 24m to the WSW was a small flat-bottomed subrectangular pit (dims 1.36m x 0.77m; D 0.11m) with a fire-reddened clay base, above which was a layer of charcoal and a sealing layer of grey clayey silt. These are interpreted as a charcoal-making pits or clamps. No artefacts were recovered. (Kavanagh 2018, 9-11)

See the attached plan from Kavanagh (2018, fig. 5)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 5 November 2020

References

Kavanagh, L. 2018 Preliminary stratigraphic report and post-excavation design for Monroe 6, Co. Wexford. M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy PPP Scheme, Co. Wexford. Townland: Monroe. Licence: E004922. Unpublished report, IAC Archaeology

Kavanagh, L. 2017 Archaeological Test Trenching of Proposed Permanent Fill Area 7; M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy PPP Scheme, Co. Wexford. Townland: Monroe. Licence: E004893. Unpublished report, IAC Archaeology