County: Waterford Site name: CULLENAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0859 and 01E0860
Author: Joanna Wren, for Sheila Lane and Associates
Site type: Kiln
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 649534m, N 610386m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.242973, -7.274674
Both excavation licences refer to parts of the same site, an area being developed by the ESB at Cullenagh towland, Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford.
Site 1 (01E0859) refers to a trench opened in the south-east corner of the site. The main feature within the trench was a corn-drying kiln. This consisted of a stone-lined semicircular chamber with a partly lined flue to the south-west which terminated in a bowl-shaped area with evidence for intensive burning. The chamber measured 1.6m north–south by 1.7m, while the flue was 0.97m wide and 2.9m long. It was orientated with the flat side of the semicircle to the south-east. Just outside this was a slot for a timber measuring 2.2m in length and 0.2m in width. This presumably formed a movable door for the drying chamber. The stone linings were constructed of a mix of shale and red sandstone conglomerate. On excavation one of the conglomerate boulders was revealed to be the upper half of a rotary quern.
The kiln was surrounded by several spreads of post-holes which formed no definite pattern or structure. No datable finds were recovered associated with the post-holes. There were also two pits set c. 10m apart, both in association with oxidised clay and charcoal. The fill of each pit was fairly sterile and no real function could be assigned to them. Samples of charcoal from each were kept for dating.
Site 2 (01E0860) refers to a group of features found in the eastern part of the site, concentrated in the area of three small trenches (A–C). The most complex feature was located in Trench A. This was an area of charcoal, ash and burnt stone set on an oval spread of shale boulders. The entire context had a maximum north–south extent of 2m and measured 1m east–west. On removal of the charcoal the stones were seen to be lining a kidney-shaped pit with its long axis north-east/south-west. This was 1.84m long, 0.7m wide and 0.3m deep.
South of this pit was a group of three circular pits filled with oxidised clay and charcoal. These were spread between Trenches B and C and set 2–9m apart. Each pit measured 0.5m in diameter and 0.19–0.31m in depth.
No datable finds were recovered from any of these features and their isolated nature made their function difficult to establish. The fill of the larger pit resembled rake-out from some type of hearth or industrial feature, but no such feature survived in the vicinity.
The similarity in the dimensions of the smaller pits and the fact that they were all roughly circular suggests a similar purpose for all of them. No industrial or organic debris which might give a clue as to their use survived within the fills. It is possible that they were robbed-out post-pits backfilled at a later stage with waste burnt material. If so, they represent far too incomplete a survival to attempt an interpretation of the original structure. Charcoal samples from these features were retained for dating.
The Mile Post, Waterford
