2001:442 - LAUGHAUSTOWN, Dublin

A complex of sites was excavated within Laughanstown townland close to a known wedge tomb and lying within the path of the South-Eastern Motorway which is currently under construction. A large interchange is to be built on the site. The excavations were first reported on in Excavations 2000, No. 320, and followed an extensive period of geophysical, topographical and aerial survey and subsequent test-trenching. These excavations are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2002.

Site 35D
To the south of the known wedge tomb at Laughanstown (SMR 26:24) a low oval embanked monument, some 30m across, was detected through topographical survey. This formed the focus of the first site to be excavated.

Once ploughsoil was partially removed, a rough oval of stone was visible. A significant assemblage of convex scrapers along with other flint objects and a fragment of burnt human skull were located within ploughsoil over the enclosure. Elsewhere plough-furrows were excavated cutting natural soil and running towards the concentration of stone. It was clear that the ploughing had reached the banks of the monument, which forced the plough over the top and into the centre. The plough-furrows ran from south-east to north-west and were clearly created by a horse-drawn plough. An 18th-century date seems probable from the artefact assemblage recovered from the fill of these features, which included pottery, clay pipes, coins and material from the nearby military camp. Earlier evidence for ploughing was noted in the form of plough pebbles, which protected the sides of medieval ploughs. The stone feature was removed and consisted mostly of field stones, sometimes grouped around glacial erratics. Artefacts recovered from among the stones included a broken saddle quern, a possible maul, a porphyry stone axe and a considerable array of hammer-stones.

The stone covered a raised ring of red-brown soil. This soil was natural in origin and was the original ground level prior to any ploughing. The stones had evidently protected this soil from the plough. The ground beneath had been clearly damaged in places by tree roots and trunks, animal burrowing and by large pits which had been dug and filled with stone from the enclosure — possibly by farmers attempting to plough the area. A number of pits were clustered on the soil in the north-east and south-east. These contained charcoal-flecked clay, sherds of ceramics and fragments of flint débitage. The pottery was predominantly of thin fabric with Beaker affinities. One sherd was decorated with chevrons. A scorched area was also located on the surface under the stone ring. Fragments of burnt bone were found scattered across the ground surface. In the centre of the enclosure a number of pits were located. One contained a stone spindle-whorl while another contained the upper stone of a saddle quern. An elongated pit nearby contained granite, sparse fragments of burnt bone and charcoal-rich soil.

In the north-east, beyond the enclosure, a number of large tree throw holes were located. These features are created when a tree is felled and the moving of the trunk and roots causes displacement of both topsoil and natural. Artefacts are thus dragged deep into these hollows. The hollows in this area showed evidence of intense heat, and a distinctive scatter of flint débitage and hollow scrapers was recovered from more than one of these features.

The enclosure bears affinities to the ring-cairn class of monuments. This monument type exists in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland and there is considerable variation in their form and use. They often incorporate evidence for burning, deliberate deposition of clay, charcoal and/or fragmentary or token placements of human bone. Further comment awaits post-excavation work.

Sites 39I and 36E
An extensive chain of outcropping granite runs south-east from the wedge tomb across the site. A number of trenches opened over high points in this chain have demonstrated that rock has been quarried along glacial fault lines which run from south-west to north-east. The wedge tomb is also orientated on similar lines and mimics the form of several large rock outcrops. The quarrying was carried out with wooden wedges which were used to split large slabs of granite. Some of these may have been used in the nearby wedge tomb. Significant quantities of abraded Bronze Age pottery sherds have been located within and around these outcrops, along with a large hollow-based arrowhead, a plano-convex knife fragment, scrapers of varying kinds and a tiny porcellanite axe found deep within the cleft of a rock. This demonstrates the intensity of occupation in areas unaffected by ploughing.

Site 38H
Approximately 15m south of the large enclosure at 35d a modern clearance cairn was excavated. This consisted of rounded granite field stones with inclusions of glass, brick and coal. This overlay a layer of silty mid-brown clay which in turn overlay natural boulder clay and rock.

Within a small pit a cremation was found within a partially crushed pot. The plain urn was found standing mouth upwards in a shallow protected pit surrounded by outcropping rock and boulders strewn by glaciers. The pit consisted of a natural hollow, 0.64m by 0.4m by 0.18m in depth, augmented by deliberately placed stones. The shale capstone had evidently been broken in antiquity and had smashed the vessel below. Fragments of shale were found within the fill. The vessel sat on a perfectly level stone at the base of the pit. It was filled with washed and partially crushed burnt bone. Some of the bone had not been exposed to great temperatures, as was indicated by its bluish-white colour. Fragments of ribs and skull were clearly discernible toward the base of the deposit, which was removed in 50mm intervals.

To the east of this feature two further pits, measuring 0.52m by 0.34m by 0.17m in depth and 0.41m by 0.33m by 0.18m in depth, were excavated. They were also filled with cremated bone. One of them contained a fragment of undecorated Bronze Age pottery. A number of very large stones may have marked the position of this burial in antiquity. A considerable quantity of oval water-rolled quartz pebbles (over 100) were located both within and around the burials and may have been used in the original burial rite. Further palaeopathological work awaits post-excavation.

Approximately 3m north-west of these burials a circular pit, filled with stone, was located.
This burial lies to the north of the, as yet unexamined, possible cairn site which is listed as a National Monument (SMR 26:26). Much of this site may have been quarried away by farming activity in the last thirty years.

Cairn 37F
To the west of this site, close to the corner of the same field, a further topographical anomaly was examined. Ploughsoil and sod were removed by hand-excavation. This low mound of mostly rounded granite stones measured 25m by 12m and was approximately 0.3m in height. Once again the site has been heavily truncated by ploughing and was originally oval. The natural boulder clay underneath the cairn was higher than the surrounding ground and was a red-brown colour, suggesting that drainage in the vicinity of the stones caused differential mineral discoloration of the soil in a similar manner to Site 35D. The cairn seemed to be of a relatively simple design and was constructed by piling field stones on top of each other. A number of possible concentric arrangements of cairn stones were recorded.

Two leaf-shaped arrowheads, a stone axe, a plano-convex knife and a number of hollow scrapers were found within the cairn material, along with fragments of burnt bone, suggesting that the site was previously known by Neolithic peoples. There were a number of oval depressions visible below the surface of the mound. A significant number of cordoned urn fragments were found within the stone material. This vessel was decorated with alternating filled and unfilled triangles and had a band of whipped cord around the rim. These fragments were all located in the same area and were all rim sherds/sherds above and including the cordon.

On removal of the stone material a number of features were apparent cut into natural soil. A pit measuring 0.5m by 0.4m and protected by two upright stone slabs was uncovered on the eastern limit of the cairn material. This contained a well-cremated but not crushed individual. Initial analysis suggests that the individual was not excarnated prior to cremation and was at least in the mid-teens. Excavation was carried out by a palaeopathologist, who will further examine the remains during post-excavation. A further plough-damaged cremation was found 5m to the north-east.

A large subrectangular pit, 3m north–south by 2m by 0.45m in depth, was located in the approximate centre of the cairn. This pit had a very heavily scorched upper edge and contained a charcoal-rich fill. A considerable number of scorched granite stones were within the fill, as well as fragments of burnt bone and charred cereal grain. This may have been the site of a funeral pyre where boards were placed over the top of the pit and subsequently set alight. The stones were subsequently thrown into the charred remains of the pit.

To the west of this feature an oval pit, 0.35m in diameter by 0.25m in depth, was excavated; it contained crushed granite and a number of coarse pottery sherds. This may have been a socket for a stone, possibly a standing stone. The area where the cordoned urn fragments were located was cleaned and a circular setting of small rounded stones was recorded. It seems likely that the cordoned urn was placed mouth downwards onto the underlying ground within the setting. The plough may subsequently have smashed the pot. This cairn has now been fully excavated.

Site 40
A magnetic anomaly was investigated on the slopes to the south of the above sites. The hand-excavated area measured 31.5m east–west by 28.5m. The soils in this field have an orange brown colour and are clearly far better drained and much more fertile than the field containing the prehistoric ceremonial and burial monuments. The current farmer notes that it was always the best field for crop cultivation. A granite saddle quern fragment was located in a field wall close to this field, already suggesting the possibility of settlement activity. A complex of post-holes, stake-holes and pits was uncovered at this site. Regular plough-furrows ran from north-west to south-east.

A larger ditch snaked from east to west. It had a primary fill of pure silt and a secondary fill of red-brown silty clay. It contained large granite stones at intervals. It measured 1.2m in diameter on average and was 0.45m in depth. It certainly disturbed the remainder of the settlement complex and therefore post-dates it. A number of potential medieval finds were associated with it. It clearly relates to the ditches found during the MAAM program (see below). More regular machine-dug French drains crossed the site at intervals from east to west.
In the south of the site a series of large post-holes are being interpreted as a house structure, oval in shape and measuring 4.5m by 4.12m. The eight post-holes are widely spaced and the structure seems to have been supported internally by irregularly placed posts. It was defined to the east by a short slot-trench, 1.95m in length, with a post at either end. This feature is suggestive of a doorway incorporating a sill-beam. A burnt area 0.75m west of the building was bounded to the west by a series of small stake-holes. Artefacts found within this structure included a circular sandstone/mudstone disc, a probable quartz tool, fragments of polished stone tools and sparse fragments of coarse Bronze Age pottery. There seemed to be symmetrical arrangements of post-holes within the structure. Any occupation horizons within and outside the house would have been removed by ploughing.

To the east of the building a series of post- and stake-holes enclosed an area of 9.75m by 12m. The arrangement of post- and stake-holes suggests that wattling was wound around the enclosure. A plano-convex knife was found lying on the surface of this enclosure. This irregular enclosure, tending towards an oval shape, contained a rectangular pit with heavy scorching at its base. It measured 1.27m by 0.75m and 0.15m in depth and was filled with pure charcoal which was subsequently covered by clean soil. The pit was protected to the west by an arrangement of posts which would have protected it from the wind. It is possible that this pit was a large smoking/roasting area or that it was used in the deliberate processing of charcoal.

To the north of this complex an elongated pit was located. It measured 2.1m by 0.9m by 0.2m in depth. A large trapezoidal saddle quern was found at one end of the pit. This massive stone was undamaged and was obviously extensively used. It has a distinctive hollow on its base, a characteristic of ten other saddle querns. Connolly, in her recent treatment of this material, has suggested that it is caused by small pounders and therefore was used as a small mortar (Connolly 1994, 30). The remainder of the pit was filled with the upper stones of saddle querns, fragments of broken saddle querns and broken granite field stones. The upper stones are distinctive and have rounded profiles with flat smooth bases. This is identical to the example found buried within the large ringed enclosure to the north (see above). The deliberate deposition of this group of stone artefacts suggests parallels with the placing of saddle querns in unusual contexts on other Bronze Age sites. Saddle querns are utilised in a number of Bronze Age burials in Ireland and are also found deposited in unusual places such as pits in houses and ditches in sites in England. While querns are used for a variety of purposes it seems likely that in this context they were used for the processing of cereal. Palaeoenvironmental work should establish whether cereal grain is present within nearby features. To the north of this pit a possible smaller oval structure with no internal post-holes was uncovered. This consisted of six post-holes of varying depth which defined an area of 4.87m by 3.75m.

To the north of this a keyhole-shaped pit was uncovered, measuring 1.35m at its widest by 2.1m. It had a deep bowl which retained evidence for low-intensity scorching. The flue sloped downwards towards this. The upper part of this construction must have been of organic materials. The process obviously involved a slow deliberate rate of heat. An immediate use for this technique would be the drying of cereals. This is potentially medieval in date and compares favourably with those found on Site 42 (see below). It is likely that it is connected with the ditch mentioned above.

A significant number of other post-built features were evident in this part of the site, but it is currently not clear what they represent. Other fence lines and pens are possibilities. Little in the way of bone was recovered apart from sparse small fragments of burnt bone which were recovered from a number of pits and post-holes across the site.

The site seems to incorporate a mixture of medieval agricultural features and late prehistoric settlement. It is clear that the peoples who resided here would have been linked to agricultural-based activities and would have had clear views of the cairns and tombs in the field to the north. These would surely have formed part of their mythologies and may have formed markers in field systems. A close link is further suggested by the similarity in grinding stones deposited in both fields.

Sites 41, 44, 46
These sites were geophysical anomalies which suggested the presence of a number of ring-ditches. A large number of test-trenches of varying sizes were hand-dug around the original test-trenches. On excavation no archaeological features were located apart from plough-furrows of 18th-century date and tree throw holes.

Site 47
This rock outcrop lies on the south-eastern limit of Laughanstown townland. It consisted of a substantial outcrop of granite originally thought to be a clearance cairn. A very mixed assemblage of artefacts was recovered, including modern glass and china along with heavily patinated struck flint flakes and an oval rubbing-stone. No features of archaeological significance were located.

Site 42
This area initially appeared as a high magnetic anomaly following geophysical survey. An area of 30m by 10m was opened by hand-excavation. A figure-of-eight-shaped pit, measuring 2.25m by 1.25m by 0.7m in depth, was excavated in the most southerly cutting. This contained an upper fill of silty brown clay with charcoal flecks and incorporated a number of large granite slabs only in the bowl. These did not line the bowl and seemed to have collapsed from above, suggesting that they may have been incorporated in a covering dome. This overlay a black charcoal-rich layer, which contained some burnt bone fragments. The pit was surrounded by a number of post-holes and pits. To the north of this structure a keyhole-shaped pit of similar dimensions was located. It contained a similar fill, including the same arrangement of stones. To the north of this a rectangular arrangement of post- and stake-holes was excavated. They contained charcoal-flecked silty clay and burnt daub. The holes seemed relatively shallow; however, it is clear that the area had been subject to intensive ploughing. Three groups of single post-holes flanked by two angled stake-holes along with three post-holes on their own were uncovered. This arrangement seemed to be angled to support a higher structure, wider than the area covered by the post-holes. The area of the post-holes measured 1.8m by 2.25m and the original posts may have supported a raised platform. It has affinities with the plans of raised granaries for the storage of seed crop (Sigaut 1988–91; Bersu 1940, 94–6). The account roll of 1344 mentions large numbers of reapers being hired to harvest the crops of Laughanstown, Tully, Killiney. Wheat and malt are both mentioned among the crops harvested (Simms 1983, 27–8). The drying of malt by women is also noted in the same account. A scarcity of artefacts and the lack of stratigraphy means that the site may have to be dated through radiocarbon sampling. Palaeoenvironmental work should clarify the types of grain dried within.

To the north of the kilns a series of pits was excavated. One was oval and contained a charcoal-rich fill with charred hazelnuts. It measured 0.5m by 0.6m. A further pit, 0.6m by 0.75m, was located on the northern extreme of the road-take and contained a large bucket-shaped pottery vessel. The fabric is very coarse and contains large grits. The pot was evidently originally placed whole into the pit and was subsequently smashed by large stones which had been pulled into place, possibly by the plough. Only tiny fragments of burnt bone were found within this fill.

Site 25
This site incorporates the location of a possible cairn indicated on Ordnance Survey maps. It is listed as a National Monument (SMR 26:26). The whole area was subsequently damaged by large-scale quarrying of rock. The vegetation has been cleared from the area and a number of trenches are being placed across the site.

MAAM
A programme of Machine-Assisted Archaeological Mitigation was undertaken in the surrounding fields using a number of track machines with flat buckets. The fields were numbered 1–5 for recording purposes. A number of ditches were found in the fields south of the main wedge tomb field (known as Field 5). The first of these runs in a winding fashion east–west across Field 2. It is interrupted at one point by two well-defined terminals creating a gap of 1.2m. The ditch was sectioned at a significant number of intervals, revealing a mixture of redeposited natural and red-brown silt. It measured 1.4m by 0.45m in depth and contained large to very large boulders at frequent intervals along its course. These boulders suggest a substantial earth and stone boundary on the northern side of the ditch. The only artefacts recovered were sparse sherds of local medieval pottery. This ditch was followed uninterrupted as far as the gateway of Field 1. At this point the fill changed dramatically to a silty yellow clay with no stones and more recent ceramics. Also at this point the ditch runs parallel to the substantial stone and earth bank which forms the modern field boundary.

A second ditch running north-east/south-west was excavated in Field 1. It is on course to meet with the above east–west ditch and had a sterile fill of red-brown silt with occasional large granite boulders. This ditch is also on course to meet the winding east–west ditch excavated during the course of excavations at Site 40 (see above). All the ditches would seem to be part of a field system which, at the latest, can be dated to the medieval period. The large stones in the ditch in Field 2 suggest that this represents the remains of a demolished earth and stone bank. Further examination of the ceramics may lead to a refining of the chronology. Sampling of all the ditch fills has taken place in order to assess whether cereal grains and other palaeoenvironmental remains are present.

The only other feature of archaeological interest was in Field 3 and consisted of a small oval pit c. 0.2m in diameter by 0.06m in depth. This contained a charcoal-rich fill along with appreciable amounts of burnt bone, which appears to be human. It was located on a ridge overlooking the Brides Glen. Further comment awaits palaeopathological work.

References
Bersu, G. 1940 Excavations at Little Woodbury, Wiltshire. Part 1: The settlement as revealed by excavation. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (new series) 6 (1), 30–111.
Connolly, A. 1994 Saddle querns in Ireland. Ulster Journal of Archaeology 57, 26–36.
Sigaut, F. 1988–91 A method for identifying grain storage techniques and its application for European agricultural history. Tools and Tillage 6, 3–46.
Simms, G.O. 1983 Tullow’s story; a portrait of a County Dublin parish. Dublin.

Brehon House, Kilkenny Road, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny