County: Carlow Site name: Castle Lane, Tullow
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: 06E0143
Author: Annette Quinn, Tobar Archaeological Services, 15 Willowfields, Ladysbridge, Castlemartyr, Co. Cork.
Site type: Urban medieval/post-medieval limekiln
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 685322m, N 673235m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.803356, -6.734622
Monitoring of groundworks associated with a water mains replacement scheme at Tullow, Co. Carlow, was undertaken. The pipeline route extended through the town of and within the archaeological constraint zone for Tullow (CW008–045). Monitoring on Castle Lane revealed an area of burning/
oxidisation 0.4m below present ground level in the area of a water chamber. Clearance was sought to proceed with a full excavation of the exposed feature. The excavation indicated that the feature represented the remains of an earth-cut limekiln. This was reiterated by the presence of a thick layer of partially burnt limestone blocks near to the base of the feature and the presence of a stone-lined flue which may have been disturbed by an adjacent manhole. Approximately one quarter of the kiln was excavated within the limits of the water chamber trench. A number of medieval pottery sherds (Leinster cooking ware) and animal-bone fragments were recovered from the upper limits of the kiln fill. Removal of the fill from the kiln revealed highly oxidised sides and base. The limekiln is located in Castle Lane, which is adjacent to the site of a medieval castle (CW008–045(03)), now occupied by a bungalow. The castle is thought to date to the 13th century, which would concur with the preliminary date of the pottery sherds recovered from the kiln.
