Furnace

The National Monuments Service's description

Located towards the bottom of a SW-facing slope in the valley of a SE-NW stream at a point where the stream, which is c. 60m to the SW, turns W. Centre-line testing (E4067) in advance of the N25 New Ross by-pass identified an interrupted but curving trench (Wth 0.7m; D 0.1-0.3m; C 15.2m) (Doyle et al. 2010, 34-5), which when further excavated (E4100) as Camlin 5 proved to be so shallow that it could be interpreted as late furrows. However, a sequence of pits (dims 0.5-0.6m; D 0.2m) are interpreted as furnace bowls and tapping pits, sometimes with traces of stone-lining, although no furnace material was found in them. Four discrete pits (dims 1.6m x 0.85m; D 0.5m to 2.9m x 1.4m; D 0.9m) were also excavated, one of which had sherds of medieval pottery (Clark and Hackett 2010, 8-12; 2013).

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 September, 2013

References

Doyle, L., Hackett, L., Hession, J., Marshall, M. Yates, D. and Bolger, T. 2010 N25 New Ross bypass road scheme, Cappagh, Co. Kilkenny to Knockroe, Co.Wexford. Archaeological services contract, Stage (1) – standard test excavation, wetland test excavation, townland boundary survey and architectural/built heritage survey. Test excavation report, under Ministerial Directions Number A52 (E4067) Unpublished report. Headland Archaeology Ltd.

Hackett, L. 2103 Camlin 5. Possible metalworking furnace, pits, curvilinear and linear features. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2010: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 230, No. 727. Dublin. Wordwell.

Clark, L. and Hackett, L. 2010 New Ross bypass road scheme, Cappagh, Co. Kilkenney to Knockroe, Co. Wexford. Archaeological Services Contract, Stage (iii) – excavation, post-excavation assessment report for Camlin 5 in the townland of Camlin, Co. Wexford. Unpublished report, Headland Archaeology.