1975:038 - DEERFIN LR, Antrim

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Antrim Site name: DEERFIN LR

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number:

Author: A. Bratt, Historic Monuments & Buildings Branch, Department of the Environment

Site type: Ringfort - cashel

Period/Dating: Early Medieval (AD 400-AD 1099)

ITM: E 715527m, N 902290m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.855099, -6.200778

This was threatened by agricultural improvements. The enclosure was originally a cashel, 80m, in diameter. The wall was generally 1.5m wide and on the SW it survived to a height of 1m.

Subsequently, a ditch 2m deep was dug around the cashel, the spoil being dumped on and around the wall to convert it into an earthern rampart. A counterscarp bank was also built. The cashel entrance (on the SW) was retained in this period.

The NW quadrant was occupied by a wooden structure just behind the rampart. The evidence for this was a group of nine postholes, arranged three by three, to form a four m. square. Several of the holes had held twin posts providing extra rigidity, and this, together with the close spacing of the posts, suggests that the structure was a tower.

The most important aspect of the site was the evidence of iron-working. Five industrial hearths were found, each with shallow ancillary pits (possibly crucible-stands).

Three of these hearths were concentrated in the S. half of the site and appear to be contemporary. Each of the three was connected to its own long, curving gully, which is interpreted as the remains of a flue of some kind.

The other two hearths (one in the N.E. quadrant, one is the S.W.) had no gullies, but each was fringed by a multiple ring of close-set stakeholes (160 holes in one case) some of which had a slight slope inwards.

The full range of iron-working seems to have taken place, producing ring-headed pins, small knives and tools from the ore.

Dating evidence was sparse, but indicated the Early Christian period. Charcoal samples were taken from the hearths for dating purposes.