County: Kilkenny Site name: CLASHACOLLARE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0950 EXT.
Author: Jacinta Kiely, Eachtra Archaeological Projects, Ballycurreen Industrial Estate, Kinsale Road, Cork.
Site type: Hearth, metalled surface, spreads and pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 641827m, N 644473m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.549979, -7.383264
A small group of features were recorded while monitoring Phase II ground-disturbance works at Clashacollare, Callan. The site is located to the north of the medieval town of Callan, SMR 26:10.
Five pits, two spreads of charcoal-rich silty clay and a possible metalled surface were excavated. All of the features were located within an area measuring 8m by 8m. The pits were of three main types. C.16 (length 0.55m, width 0.3m, depth 0.12m) was small and oval-shaped; this was located centrally to the rest of the features. In situ burning was identified, which may indicate that this was a hearth. Three shallow oval pits containing ex situ burnt clay and charcoal-rich silt fills were identified, C.5 (length 1.12m, width 0.86m, depth 0.14m) and C.9 (length 1.31m, width 0.76m, depth 0.18m), located c. 2.5m to the south-west of C.16, and C.1 (length 1.72m, width 0.55m, depth 0.14m), located c. 1.1m to the north of C.16. C.10 (length 2.1m, width 0.98m, depth 0.3m), a pit filled with a silty sand, cut through the southern side of C.1. The spreads of charcoal-rich silt, C.12 (length 2.4m, width 1m, depth 0.04m) and C.13 (length 2.7m, width 2.15m, depth 0.05m), were located c. 0.9m to the east of the central hearth. The possible metalled surface (overall dimensions: length 5m, width 2.5m) was preserved in two main locations, 2.5m to the south of and 1m to the east of C.16.
No evidence for a structure was identified. There were no post- or stake-holes in the area of the features excavated. The metalled surface is not thought to represent an internal floor surface; rather, it is thought to represent an outdoor work surface. The spreads C.12 and C.13 are located very close to the central hearth C.16 and may be representative of raking-out of the hearth after an episode of heating/use. The fills of the remainder of the pits (with the exception of C.10) are composed of burnt clay, silt and charcoal; these materials would be typical of what would be produced by the continued use, clearing out and reuse of a hearth and their deposition in nearby pits. No diagnostic material was produced from any of the pits or spreads.
