County: Louth Site name: ARDEE:Tierney Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0831
Author: Carmel Duffy
Site type: Kiln, Hearth and Pit
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 696340m, N 790601m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.855925, -6.535592
The site is 150m north-east of the castle known as The Courthouse.
During monitoring of the groundworks for the construction of four double houses at The Avenue, Tierney Street, an area of burnt subsoil, 0.5m square, with a sherd of medieval pottery and two flints lying on it was discovered. Excavation of an area measuring 15m by 8m took place. The deposits appeared to have been truncated on their eastern side. Two burning-pits were revealed. The southern one was carefully lined with stones and was keyhole shaped. The overall size was 4.8m by 2.4m. The bowl end measured 1.85m by 1m, and it tapered to 0.92m by 0.8m at the bottom. The pit was 0.82m deep. Running eastward from it was a stone-built flue, 2m long, 0.62m wide and 0.72m deep. There were several layers of burning in the material in the flue.
The kiln had what appeared to be a bellows flue on its northern side, curving into the kiln and with two outlets into the main flue. It was stone-built and stood three to four courses high.
North of this kiln was another, not as carefully constructed. It was banjo shaped and measured 4m by 1.6m. It lay on top of a U-shaped ditch that was 12.4m long and ran into an adjacent suburban garden to the west of the site.
Between the two kilns was a series of four superimposed hearths.
About 700 sherds of medieval pottery were recovered, some of them in secure contexts associated with the period of use of the kilns. A total of 125 flints, some with secondary working, were recovered.
During monitoring of the remaining foundations, several other pits, one of which contained medieval pottery, came to light.
Umberstown Great, Summerhill, Co. Meath
