2000:1047 - CARROWREAGH, Wexford

Eachtra Archaeological Projects excavated this as part of a programme of monitoring and testing for Wexford County Council (see Excavations 2000, No. 1068 for scope of works). This site was found during the testing phase of the project, prior to construction work. About half of the interior of a moated site, a series of field boundaries and a pottery kiln were uncovered within the road-take of the new road.

The site was on the eastern edge of Carrowreagh townland, on low-lying, wet ground surrounded by low hills. It was overlooking an area of marshy ground. The longest axis of the moat was north-east/south-west. The northern part of the settlement was within the road-take, with the rest of the moat visible as slight depressions running under a modern road. The line of the southern end of the moat could be made out from a kink in the existing field boundary that preserves the outline of the settlement. The site was locally called the ‘ra’ or rath field, and the most recent landowner remembered a series of bumps across the field following the line of what was uncovered in the test-trench. These had been levelled in the past 40 years.

The moat was on average 2.85m wide and up to 3m deep. The north-eastern end was fully exposed and was 27m long. About 25m of the western side and 16m of the eastern side was uncovered. The interior was dominated by the remains of a timber building that appeared to have been destroyed by a fire. Initial interpretations suggest that it was a domestic building, as there was good evidence of internal divisions and a hearth. Large quantities of Leinster cooking ware and some exotic pottery were found throughout the deposits, as were a number of gaming pieces. This building was surrounded by a wide, shallow drainage feature or path. The eastern and western sides had stone-lined drains c. 1m from the exterior walls, which cut through cobble surfaces flanking each side of the structure. The settlement clearly had some difficulties with managing water. This is not surprising given that the field is still very wet land.

The only other feature in the interior was a series of large stone deposits along the western side, about two-thirds of the way down the length of the moat. Current interpretations favour this being the periphery of the entrance, where stones had to be continually thrown down to make it passable. A small section of small, rough cobbling was found here, respecting the moat’s edge.

The absence of other remains in the interior was puzzling, given the concentration of activity around the domestic structure. Phosphate samples were taken to see if any trace of human or animal activity remained.

The moat had at least one episode of recutting after being backfilled and showed evidence of being periodically cleaned out. A series of soil micromorphology samples was taken to throw some more light on the use and maintenance of the moat. The leat that fed the moat was traced back to a stream c. 400m away, which appears to have been redirected to feed the moat.

Given the nature of the development, the carrying out of extensive open-area excavation outside the moat was facilitated. The entire area of the road-take was stripped, revealing a series of field boundaries that was contemporary with the moated settlement (dated through well-sealed Leinster ware). A complex of medieval drains was also found, mixed in with the field boundaries, and the remains of what may have been a pond. The pond may have been used in the pottery-making that was taking place at the site just outside the northern extent of the moat.

This kiln was similar to that excavated by Pollock and Waterman (1963) at Downpatrick, Co. Down, and had close parallels with that excavated by Simpson et al. (1979) at Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim (see also O’Keeffe 2000, 124–6). It was surrounded by a wider activity area associated with pottery-making, including areas for bisquing and possibly for throwing the pots. Extensive dumps of waste and broken kiln furniture were found in adjacent field boundaries, along with a large, shallow pit that may have been the dump for kiln waste.

Petrological analysis and comparisons between the pottery that was being made on the site and the pottery from probable domestic contexts should be interesting. The relationship between the exotic pottery, from England and France, will also be teased out, possibly in relation to its importance in constructing and maintaining the identities of the newcomers to the area. One hypothesis being worked through in post-excavation analysis is that ethnicity is reflected in the material remains of the Norman/English peasants or smaller gentry who lived at the site.

Historical research is focusing on comparisons with other medieval moated sites in light of the argument that they were the product of a phase of consolidation and expansion associated with the needs of the developing English Crown to feed its armies in the 13th century (O’Keeffe 2000, 77–80). The process of assarting (or clearing) previously marginal land (or land that was designated marginal by the new rulers) by marginalised groups forced to engage in ‘entrepreneurial’ ventures in a foreign country will also be investigated.

This site will play a central role in the narrative being put together from the traces of the medieval landscape uncovered on this project (see Excavations 2000, No. 1068). The area around the moated settlement has been the focus of an intensive study of field boundaries, which fits into the programme of recording all the boundaries destroyed by the development. Preliminary results are showing that it is possible to find meaningful traces of relict landscapes even in such heavily farmed regions as the south-east.

References
O’Keeffe, T. 2000 Medieval Ireland: an archaeology. Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Pollock, A.J. and Waterman, D.M. 1963 A medieval pottery kiln in Downpatrick. Ulster Journal of Archaeology 21, 79–104.
Simpson, M.L., Bryan, P.S., Delaney, T.G. and Dickson, A. 1979 An early thirteenth-century double-flued pottery kiln at Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim: an interim report. Medieval Ceramics 3, 41–51.

Riveroaks, Riverstown, Birr, Co. Offaly