2002:0604 - JORDANSTOWN (BGE 6/12/1), Dublin

During topsoil-stripping for the Bord Gáis Éireann Pipeline to the West project (Section 6: Gormanston to Ballough), a series of archaeological features became apparent north-east of Road-crossing 6/13 on the N1. They extended for 37–40m along the pipeline corridor but were concentrated on the northern side. At their widest point the features were only 8m from the northern baulk of the wayleave. Subsequent cleaning revealed a series of stratified features including five cereal-drying kilns and areas of oxidised clay associated with a linear, ditch-like feature. All of these features contained charcoal-rich fills and were delimited by oxidised clay. They were cut by later ditches crossing from north to south. The features are situated on gently east–west-sloping pastureland; the land is quite unencumbered, affording good views in all directions, particularly to the north and west.

The kilns (F2, F9, F13, F19, F23)
The kilns were all variations of the classic figure-of-eight plan. In most cases the fire-pit of the kiln was ringed with a ‘halo’ of reddened, oxidised clay. This clay formed the lining of the kiln and the flue. In most cases the kilns were 2m long and 0.8–1m wide across the bowl. Their alignment was quite unusual in that two were oriented north-west/south-east (F2, F13) and the remaining three were aligned west–east (F9, F19, F23). The kilns had single, uniform fills, charcoal-rich with visible environmental remains. These fills have been extensively sampled.

F2: Kiln 1
F2 lay 0.5m south of the linear feature (F5), almost at the eastern edge of the archaeological area. The other kilns of this group lay west-north-west of F5. F2 was oriented almost due north–south, similar to F13 (Kiln 2). The fire-pit was to the north.

The kiln was roughly figure-of-eight- to keyhole-shaped, with an overall length of 2m. The fire-pit was subcircular and 0.9m wide, narrowing to 0.54m at the location of the flue. The kiln area widened to a maximum of 0.8m. The southern edge of the kiln was flattened, giving a keyhole plan. The fire-pit was lined with fire-reddened clay (F3) to a depth of 0.06–0.08m. This lining did not extend to the kiln pit. The overall cut was filled with black peaty clay, containing a considerable amount of charcoal. This formed a single, homogeneous fill over F2 and F3. The depth of F2 fluctuated from its shallowest, at 0.1m to the south, to 0.16m, sloping down to the north. There was no distinct change in slope to reflect the location of the flue. The sides of F2 were quite steep, opening onto a flat base.

This kiln was well constructed and beautifully lined. The fill was homogeneous and uniform throughout. This suggests that the kiln functioned effectively and was deliberately backfilled after use. The fill was deliberately placed, as there was no evidence of oxidisation in the kiln pit to the south.

F13: Kiln 2
F13 (Kiln 2) was 2.5m north of the linear feature (F5); it encroached and abutted an area of burning (F15), and was cut by a later ditch (F16). Kiln 1 (F2) was c. 12m to the south-east. F13 lay within the main concentration of kilns including F9, F19 and F23. It was aligned roughly north-west/south-east. The fire-pit was to the north.

The kiln was roughly figure-of-eight in plan, with an overall length of 2.3m. The fire-pit was subcircular and 1m wide, narrowing to 0.16m at the location of the flue forming the confluence between the fire-pit and the kiln. The kiln area widened to a maximum of 1m. There were patches of fire-reddened clay in the base of the fire-pit and kiln, indicative of in situ burning, but no formal lining. F13 had a shallow, obtuse profile, with both fire-pit and kiln barely 0.1m deep, rising to 0.02m at the flue. The overall cut was filled with a material of loose compaction with silt, clay and peat as components. This contained a considerable amount of charcoal. It formed a single, homogeneous fill over F13. F13 abutted a layer of oxidised natural. This material may relate to the operation of the kiln. The kiln was also cut by F16, one of the two ditches that constitute the stratigraphically latest features on the site.

This was a fine example of a kiln, with a rather unusual plan. Oxidisation in both pits of the kiln may indicate that it functioned in two directions. The remains of the kiln were very shallow, probably much truncated by agricultural practices.

F19: Kiln 3
F19 was 4m west of F13 (Kiln 2) and 3.5m north of the linear feature (F5). As with F13, F19 was cut by one of the later ditches, F21. F2 (Kiln 1) was c. 16.5m to the east. F19 lay within the main concentration of kilns including F9, F13 and F23. It was aligned roughly north-north-east/south-south-west. The fire-pit appeared to be to the north-north-east.

The kiln was roughly figure-of-eight in plan, with an overall length of 2m. The fire-pit was subcircular and 1m wide, narrowing to 0.48m at the location of the flue forming the confluence between the fire-pit and the kiln. The kiln area widened to a maximum of 0.68m, but the full extent could not be determined as F21 cut the kiln here. There were patches of fire-reddened clay in the base of the fire-pit, indicative of in situ burning, but no formal lining. F19 displayed a stepped profile. The fire-pit was 0.34m deep, rising to 0.18m in the kiln. The flue was defined at the step between the fire-pit and the kiln. It incorporated the rise from 0.34m to 0.18m, and at its base it was 0.1m wide, widening to a maximum of 0.48m.

The cut was filled with a loose, dark brown to black soil, with a large amount of charcoal throughout. It was quite uniform, but the visible quantity of charcoal diminished from the base to the surface.

This was a fine example of a kiln, in good condition. Unfortunately the kiln pit had been cut by the later ditch (F21), which makes full interpretation of the kiln difficult.

F23: Kiln 4
F23 was 1.3m north of the linear feature (F5) and 0.3m west of the later ditch (F21). F19 (Kiln 3) was c. 5.5m to the north-east; F13 (Kiln 2) was c. 10m to the north-east; and F2 (Kiln 1) was 21m to the south (south of F5). F23 lay securely within the main concentration of kilns including F9, F19 and F13.

The kiln was aligned roughly west-south-west/east-north-east. The fire-pit was to the west-south-west.

The kiln was roughly figure-of-eight- to keyhole-shaped, with an overall length of 1.85m. The fire-pit was subcircular and 0.83m wide, narrowing to 0.52m at the location of the flue forming the confluence between the fire-pit and the kiln. The kiln area did not widen in this case but extended a further 0.9m retaining the same width of 0.52m. In profile this kiln was quite different from the others, with a gradual, stepped descent to the base of the fire-pit. At the centre of the pit was a steep-sided socket with a V-shaped profile. This feature was contemporary with the kiln, as the kiln fill was uniform from the base of this V-shaped cut to present ground level. This feature in the base of the fire-pit was lined with fire-reddened clay, indicative of in situ burning, but there was no formal lining. It appeared that this feature contained the combustible material in the fire-pit. On the west-north-west side of F23, where it narrowed for the flue, was a stone placement that forcibly narrowed the flue and appeared to be a deliberate feature. The overall depth of F23 varied from 0.32m at the centre of the fire-pit to 0.04m at the east-north-east. The overall cut was filled with a material of loose compaction, with silt, clay and peat as components. It contained a considerable amount of charcoal. This formed a single, homogeneous fill over F23.

This was a fine example of a kiln, a rather unusual variant that involved the excavation of a central pit within the fire-pit to accommodate the fire setting. Oxidised clay within this context defined the extent of burning but did not represent a formal liner.

F9: Kiln 5
F9 was north of the linear feature (F5) that cut the edge of F9. F13 (Kiln 2), F19 (Kiln 3) and F23 (Kiln 4) were grouped to the west of F9, and F2 (Kiln 1) lay due west.

This kiln did not display a clear alignment, as it did not physically resemble any of the typical kiln forms.

Kiln 5 may in fact be a misnomer for the feature. It was cut into the natural and did not follow any of the recognised kiln forms, being rather amorphous to subcircular, with an overall length of 1.2m. During excavation it was revealed as a shallow fire-pit with a maximum depth of 0.2m. The base was heavily oxidised, indicative of in situ burning, but there was no formal lining. It was joined by two possible flues, F28–9 from the north and F30–1 from the south. A similar kiln type and flue arrangement were recorded at Flemingtown, excavated by Emmet Byrnes (No. 592, Excavations 2002, 02E0296). Flemingtown is tentatively dated as Bronze Age and is similar in plan to a site excavated at Doonmoon, Co. Limerick (Gowen 1988), which was also ascribed to the Bronze Age. The form of the other kilns on this site appears to be early historic and is similar to that of kilns excavated at Corbally, Co. Kildare. The environmental samples from these kilns date them to the early historic period. It may be necessary to reassess F28–9 and F30–1. These may not be flues but rather components of a curvilinear trench cut by F9. The fills in all cases were loose and friable, and differentiation was almost impossible. The only evidence of burning was in the fire-pit. A charcoal spread to the south may have originated from this group of features, but this is not clear.

The F9 cut was filled with a loose, dark brown to black soil, with a moderate amount of charcoal and inclusions of burnt bone throughout the fill. The fill also yielded a copper-alloy artefact. This object was recovered in two pieces, though originally formed from a single sheet of metal wrapped around to form a cylinder. The exterior surface was decorated with a criss-cross pattern and bands of incised parallel lines. The object has been conserved.

This feature may indeed be a kiln, but the evidence is inconclusive. The plan of F9 was partially obscured, as it lay at the juncture with F5, F28 and F30. Environmental analysis may clarify what the feature is and allow dates to be determined for it.

F5: linear trench
The three east–west-oriented kilns appeared to be associated with a linear, charcoal-rich slot-trench (F5). This feature was recorded as crossing the site from south-west to north-east over a distance of 37m and was 0.5–0.8m wide and 0.18–0.25m deep. The fill was quite uniform and had no evidence of a built structure. The absence of structural features like post- or stake-holes may suggest that the slot-trench supported a temporary screen. The fill was grey/black with a high proportion of peat. It yielded considerable amounts of charcoal and rotted vegetation. The vegetation was unlikely to be contemporary with the trench but was later growth following the line of loose fill. The series of possible hearths (F15, F18, F25) was directly associated with the linear ditch and in some places had been partially encircled by extensions to F5. F26 was one such extension, 6.2m long and 0.6m wide. Its plan and profile were in keeping with those of F5, and the fill was indistinguishable from that of F5. Although these features are obviously truncated, their survival must be attributed to the quality of the grassland, which prevents it from being ploughed.

F15, F18, F25: possible hearths
F15 was a layer of oxidised natural clay measuring c. 2m by 1.5m and localised to the surface, being only millimetres deep. It was close to F13 (Kiln 2) and may be the result of burning within the kiln or perhaps a hearth associated with the kiln.

F18 was an elongated oval of red, oxidised natural, 2.3m long and 0.6m wide. Again, this appeared to have been the result of localised burning on the natural and was only millimetres deep. F18 was in the same group of features as the kilns and may be associated with them.
F25 was a subcircular patch of oxidised natural clay, 0.8m long and 0.6m wide. This deposit was partially enclosed by an extension of F5 but was open to the east. This feature had more substance than the others, being almost 0.04m deep. It was probably a hearth.

F7, F11, F32: linear features
F7 was a small linear cut in the natural, 1.7m long and 0.4m wide. It was oriented east–west and survived to a maximum depth of 0.4m. It had a U-shaped profile, gradually sloping to a flat base. The grey/brown, dry fill had a high organic content and charcoal flecking throughout.

F11 was a linear cut, 1.1m long, 0.4m wide and 0.28m deep. The profile was U-shaped, with gradually sloping sides giving way to a concave base. It had a homogeneous organic fill (with charcoal), moderate in compaction with some pebbles throughout.

F32 was a linear cut, 1.4m long and 0.71m wide. It survived to a depth of 0.12m. It was cut into the natural and was in turn cut by the later ditch feature (F21). The cut had a concave profile, springing sharply from ground level but sloping gradually down to a shallow, concave base. The fill was largely silt, with a small amount of pebble inclusions and a low clay content. The high silt content may suggest that this feature was associated with drainage or remained open for an extended period, allowing it to silt up naturally.

F16, F21: later ditches
Both of these features crossed the site from north to south and clearly represented the latest phase of activity before the Pipeline to the West project. They entered the pipeline corridor from the northern pastureland.

These ditches were almost identical in form. Both features were very shallow, with maximum depths of 0.06–0.07m. The width of both ditches was between 1.8m and 2m, and they followed the same alignment. The fill in both cases consisted of redeposited topsoil, which had accumulated naturally within the cut of the ditches. This fill was very low in charcoal content. These ditches cut two kilns, F13 (Kiln 2) and F19 (Kiln 3), and crossed the F5 ditch in two places. F21 also cut F26 and F32.

These ditches have cut through all of the major features of this site, which clearly defines them as the latest features.

Conclusions
All of these features have been directly cut into the natural, which suggests short-term usage; there was no recorded depth of stratigraphy, at least at this location. In general the excavated information suggests an area of intensive agricultural activity, largely comprising crop husbandry and cereal processing.

This land is mature pasture, almost permanent grassland. Low earthworks are visible in the pasture field to the north. The earthworks do not suggest a particular plan, but extensive geophysics would prove productive. The extent of the excavated features suggests the presence of a habitation site in the immediate environs. The nature of the features indicates an area of agricultural industrial activity. The antiquity of these features remains uncertain until the results of environmental sampling are known.

Reference
Gowen, M. 1988 Three Irish gas pipelines: new archaeological evidence in Munster. Dublin.

2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin