2002:1499 - NEWCASTLE 2, Meath

Excavation was carried out on behalf of Westmeath County Council at Newcastle 2, Co. Meath, before the construction of the M4 Kinnegad–Enfield– Kilcock Motorway Scheme, Contract 2, between 25 July and 23 August 2002. The site had been noted during route testing as a number of hearths and spreads. The furnace remained as an oval cut filled with charcoal and slag. The cut measured 0.52m north–south by 0.72m, with a maximum depth of 0.17m (74.68m OD). It had gradually sloping, but quite irregular, sides and a concave base. The sides and base were heavily oxidised. At the top of the cut was a small lip of clay, possibly the remains of a dome that would have covered the furnace. The interior was filled with loose, sticky, grey/black, sandy clay with a reddish hue. Charcoal (c. 15% of the deposit) and iron slag (15–25%) were present within the matrix, and small sub-round pebbles were occasionally found throughout. Most of the slag was in small pieces (0.03m3), but a large amount had accumulated along the base of the furnace. A number of small metal globules were also recovered. The furnace was radiocarbon dated to cal. AD 890–1150.

Immediately east of the furnace was an oval refuse pit that measured 1.05m north–south by 0.66m and was 0.22m deep (74.71m OD). The sides were generally concave, but the northern side was quite steep. The base was also slightly concave. The fill was composed of moderately compact, black/brown, clayey silt containing charcoal (c. 15%) and large amounts of iron slag (c. 25%). No metal was present in this deposit, suggesting that the used ore was deposited in this pit after smelting.

A kiln feature, probably used for charcoal production, in a neighbouring field was excavated under the same licence. It was a subrectangular cut into natural subsoil, measuring 1.6m north–south by 3.7m, and was a maximum of 0.26m deep (76.37m OD). The sides were quite steep, almost vertical, and the base was slightly concave, but rather uneven and pocked, and had a slight slope from east to west. The base was partially oxidised along its northern, eastern and western ends, with a J-shaped area through its centre that appeared not to have been exposed to heat. At the base of the cut were four small, shallow stake-holes, positioned in a rough diamond shape at the centre of the feature. They were of similar dimensions (0.06–0.9m in diameter and up to 0.09m deep) and contained similar fills, moderately compact, yellow/brown, silty clay with frequent charcoal flecking. Perhaps significantly, three of the four stake-holes were in non-oxidised areas. The stake-holes may have acted as a support rack, although it is unlikely that they would have supported any significant weight.

The primary deposit along the western side of the feature was moderately compact, mid-yellow/brown, occasionally stony, silty clay, mostly redeposited natural. There were occasional pieces of oxidised clay throughout this deposit but mostly close to the oxidised areas of the base. Moderate amounts of charcoal (c. 20%) occurred throughout. The deposit had obviously been subject to post-depositional disturbance, as it overlay a severely oxidised area while itself showing no substantial evidence of burning. It is suggested that this deposit narrowed the feature, creating a form of flue, restricting the movement of hot air from the fire. This would also explain why only certain parts of the base were scorched. The primary deposit at the eastern end of the feature was a dense layer of pure charcoal, much remaining as intact pieces of wood, some of which resembled planking. The wood was laid east to west. The deposit measured 1.3m by 1.6m and was 0.13m thick. Sealing this was a mixed layer of charcoal (c. 70–80%) and mid-brown silty clay. There were also occasional lumps of oxidised clay throughout. It is suggested that this deposit may represent prolonged kiln maintenance or cleaning. This layer was in turn sealed by two deposits, the more important of which was a thick layer of severely oxidised, redeposited, natural clay containing very few inclusions. It was localised to the eastern end of the feature, its western edge corresponding to the western extent of the charcoal planking. It appeared that the dense charcoal remains that seemed to have been the focus of the kiln explicitly delimited this deposit. This deposit has been interpreted as a roof or dome over the hearth, which collapsed over time. The final deposits in the feature were moderately compact mixed deposits, which developed naturally over time, eventually sealing all earlier deposits. This feature was radiocarbon dated to cal. AD 1050–1270.

A number of features, either patches of oxidised clay or small cut features with traces of in situ burning, were noted in all areas of the site and are interpreted as hearths, one of which was dated to cal. AD 980–1170. None of these features contained any cultural material or evidence of domestic use, and they were not, except where indicated, associated with further archaeological remains.

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