1973:056 - KELLS (td Rathduff), Kilkenny

The areas investigated at Kells in 1973 included the cloister garth, ambulatories and portion of the south range; the north transept and it's two aisles: the north-west tower; the Lady Chapel and choir and the area lying between the church buildings and the enclosure wall at the river’s edge.  

Within the cloister garth the remaining areas of the later cobbling were removed thus revealing the entire plan of the arcade wall footings. The bases for buttresses had survived at the centre of each side and in the four angles. In the southern ambulatory traces of the original floor were exposed together with the stone-lined soak-away below the lavabo. Fragments of the cloister arcade (colonnettes and pieces of the archstones) were found scattered throughout the deposits of slate and soil below the late cobbling. From an examination of these fragments, and some fine cloister material found in the western aisles of the transept, the form of the cloister arcade was established—slender twin collonettes crowned with capitals showing foliage and dog-tooth ornaments and supporting trefoilated arches with bowtell mouldings. An early fourteenth century date could be suggested for this feature and the occurrence of an annular brooch and a reckoning counter of Edward I on primary levels in the north ambulatory supports this view. 

The west room of the south range yielded a considerable amount of medieval pottery and a number of bronzes and coins. These were stratified on the remains of a clay floor below a section of late cobbling. The north west tower was also excavated down to original floor levels. Removal of the modern rubble dump exposed the collapsed vaul,ting which had seals the earlier deposits. These contained a selection of pottery of English French and local wares, a number of coins, small bronzes (strap tags) and a fine carved bone stylus.  

Although all the church areas yielded quantities of decorated floor tiles (as in 1972) only in the Lady Chapel were any fragments still in situ—set in their original mortar bedding below the late altar. Among the new patterns recovered was a large stamped tile displaying a shield motif and a stamped mosaic pattern of small rosettes. The small finds from the Lady Chapel included a bronze knife-handle decorated with two carved figures probably (St James and St John). 

The choir contained a number of late graves each delimited by simple stone liner, in some instances re-using pieces of carved stonework and floor tiles. Two of these graves had been inserted through the remains of an earlier mortar floor. At the eastern end below a deposit of rubble and plaster another portion of a mortar floor had survived. Some of the plaster fragments still retained traces of the red and blue colours from a destroyed wall ‘fresco’. Towards the centre the remains of a substantial wall were exposed extending across the choir and underlying the existing side walls—this may represent the east wall of the original choir. 

Excavation outside the north transept and the Lady Chapel revealed the foundations of the east aisle of the transept. Close to the north wall of the Lady Chapel and choir a considerable quantity of carved stonework was recovered to the east window of the choir with some fine sandstone dressings from the windows of the Lady Chapel. Stratified with this stonework, in a layer of slate and sandy gravel, were a number of almost complete ridge tiles—glazed and decorated. 

Office of Public Works