Kiln - corn-drying

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 completely excavated (00E0626) subsequently. It is situated on a SW-facing slope. The keyhole-shaped kiln consisted of a stone-lined bowl (diam. 3.08m N-S; 3m E-W; D 0.95m) with a flat bottom that had a channel (L 2.4m; D 0.1-0.6m) leading from the flue at SW through the centre of the bowl. The flue (L 4m) extended to the SW (Wth 1-2m), and was cut partially into bedrock. After a period of disuse a smaller bowl (dims. 2.5m N-S; 2.2m E-W) utilised the same flue, and further re-cuts occurred. A charcoal sample from the final use of the kiln produced a C14 date of cal AD 1640-1950. (Tierney 2002; Tierney and Johnston 2006)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 7 November, 2012

References

Elder, S. and Tierney, M. 2002 N25 Rathsillatgh to Harristown Little realignment scheme. Prehistoric and medieval. in I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 2000: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 358, No. 1068. Bray, Wordwell

Tierney, M. 2002 Bricketstown. Medieval corn-drying kiln. in I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 2000: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 351, No. 1046. Bray, Wordwell.

Tierney, M. and Johnston, P. 2006 Archaeological excavation report Carrowreagh N25 Harristown to Rathsillagh Co. Wexford. Medieval moated site and pottery kiln. Eachtra Archaeological Projects. Unpublished report, National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Licence no. 00E0471.