Moated site

The National Monuments Service's description

First identified in centre-line testing (00E0379) for the re-alignment of the N25 Wexford town to New Ross road (Elder and Tierney 2002), and partially excavated (00E0471) subsequently. It is located on a low-lying landscape with a small NE-SW stream c. 60m to the SE and a small NW-SE stream c. 90m to the SW. The N half of a rectangular area (dims c. 27m NW-SE; c. 30m plus NE-SW) was excavated. It was defined by moats (Wth c. 2.85m; D up to 3m) on each side, and a metalled surface against the moat on the NW side may have marked the entrance. At the centre was a rectangular wooden building, half of which was excavated. It was probably domestic as there were internal divisions and two hearths. Externally, a shallow depression on each side probably represents a path and there were stone-lined drains parallel with the E and W walls and c. 1m from them. What was thought to be a pottery kiln and evidence of associated activities was just outside the NE moat, but a re-examination of the evidence concludes it is more likely to be a corn-drying kiln (Eogan and Kelly 2016, 218). Some drains and ditches from a field system relating to the moated site are also recorded. (Tierney 2002; Tierney, M. and Johnston, P. 2006, 6-12; Tierney 2009)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of revised upload: 1 February, 2017

References

Tierney, M. 2002 Carrowreagh (sic). Medieval moated site. In I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 2000: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 351-2, No. 1047. Bray, Wordwell.

Tierney, M. and Johnston, P. 2006 Archaeological excavation report, Carrowreagh (sic) N25 Harristown to Rathsillagh, Co. Wexford. Medieval moated site and pottery kiln. Licence No. 00E0471. Unpublished report, Eachtra Archaeological Projects.

Tierney, M. 2009 16. Excavating feudalism? A medieval moated site at Carrowreagh (sic), Co. Wexford. In C. Corlett and M. Potterton (eds.), Rural settlement in medieval Ireland in the light of recent archaeological excavations, 189-200. Dublin. Wordwell.

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