2006:358 - KINSALE: Rathbeg, Cork

A licensed metal-detector survey was carried out between 6 and 7 of August 2006 at the possible site of the Earl of Thomond’s second camp, relating to the English siege of the town of Kinsale in 1601. The work was carried out by volunteer archaeologists of the Kinsale Battlefield Project to identify archaeology relating to the siege, and was funded by Cork-based businessman Joe Carey.

No aboveground trace of the fortification was evident. The site was chosen based on a combination of aerial, cartographic and landscape analysis. Of particular note was the identification by Dr Daphne Pochin Mould of a large circular enclosure in the vicinity. Contemporary maps of the siege indicate that the Earl of Thomond’s second camp had a ringfort incorporated into its defences, and contemporary sources suggest that a number of these earlier monuments were utilised by the besieging Crown forces.

The metal-detector survey was restricted to a small enclosed area (some 1000m2) at the back of Annmount, the site of a farmhouse since the 18th century. All hits were recorded using an EDM. No hits were followed below topsoil level in order to preserve any subsurface archaeological features. There was heavy disturbance in the area caused by the proximity of the farmhouse, and numerous modern finds were recovered. However, the presence of English forces on the site was confirmed by the discovery of three lead musket balls. The dimensions and weight of these artefacts conform to those used in the caliver, the principal firearm used by Crown forces during the 1601 siege. A number of other objects may also be of early modern date, and are currently undergoing comparative analysis as part of the post-excavation process.

41 Oakbrook, Castlelake, Carrigtohill, Co. Cork