2006:1090 - AR020, Scart, Kilkenny

This site was initially identified as two burnt mounds in the course of work carried out for Kilkenny County Council/National Roads Authority during the N9/N10 Waterford to Powerstown scheme. Excavations were carried out in August and September 2006.
This site encompassed an area of c. 2700m2 and was located on a south-west-facing slope with extensive views across the valley to the west. It lay north of ringfort KK040–052(01–02).
During field inspection for the EIS the site was recorded as an arc of an earthen bank located north of the laneway. The feature, measuring 25m in length, 6m in width and with a maximum height of 0.4m, consisted of a bank surrounded by an arc of denser vegetation which may represent a fosse. The remainder of the bank ran into the southern part of the field on the opposite side of the intersecting laneway, which is not included in the area of land for the road construction. Here the arc of the earthen bank could be traced for c .15m and was 6m wide and 0.20m in height.
As a result of the proximity of the site to the proposed alignment, an area of 1.48ha in the vicinity of the site underwent a geophysical survey in June 2003. The ringfort was recorded as a slight curving trend in the field to the south of the laneway. Due to ferrous disturbance, the possible ringfort could not be traced to the north of the laneway.
During excavation a number of features were identified, c. 30m north of the possible ringfort (KK040–052(01–02)). An irregular-shaped kiln orientated north-west/south-east consisted of an irregular tear-drop-shaped cut, with a slightly curving linear flue and possibly contemporary subcircular cut, which may prove to be an ash pit. Its overall measurements were 8.72m long by 2m wide, sloping down the natural gradient of the land to the north-west.
The irregular tear-drop-shaped cut (measuring 5.9m long, 0.6–2m wide and 0.6m deep) was partially lined with large squared limestone boulders along the northern and southern internal edges. The lining stones were more defined along the southern side, where clay packing was present all along the southern edge. A baffle stone was identified across the kiln between the stone lining.
The fills of this cut were layers of successive oxidised clay, charcoal and silty clays with frequent charcoal inclusions. The flue extended curving downslope, measuring 4.1m long, 0.48m wide and 0.25m deep. The semicircular-shaped cut was located on the north-eastern edge of the flue and measured 2.8m long by 1.7m wide and 0.28m deep.
An irregular-shaped pit was located to the north-west of the flue but did not cut it. It measured at least 1.76m long by 1.7m wide and was 0.38m deep but was indistinguishable on its north-western side. Its lower fill contained frequent amounts of charcoal, which may be a related function of the kiln. There were a number of surface deposits of charcoal in the vicinity of the flue.
Kilns
Two possible drying pits or kilns similar in size were located to the north-east and south-east of the kiln. The pit to the south-east was orientated north-west/south-east (measuring 2.91m long by 1.34m wide and 1.08m deep), had steep concave sides and an uneven irregular base. This pit had an area of intense scorching along the base to the south-east and a substantial charcoal and oxidised clay primary deposit. This layer was sealed by a deposit of large limestone boulders and would appear to have been deliberately backfilled.
The pit to the north-east of the kiln was orientated north-east/south-west, measured 3.1m long by 1.3 wide and was 0.8m deep. It had steep concave sides and a flattened base sloping to the south-west, where there was an area of intense scorching. A post-hole, probably contemporary, was cut into the north-east of the base of this cut. Two possible slot-trenches were located south of this pit. They were orientated south-west/north-east (2.7m long by 0.4m wide by 0.3m deep) and north-west/south-east (2.9m long by 0.27m by 0.25m deep) and both extended to the east beyond the limit of excavation. They may form a possible corner of a structure or building, possibly a granary.
A third possible drying pit was located to the north-east of the site. This pit was sub-oval in plan, orientated north–south (measuring at least 1.11m long by 0.8m wide and 0.4m deep as excavated), with concave sides and uneven base sloping down to the north where there was an area of intense in situ scorching. The full extent lay outside the boundary of the road corridor.
Given the close proximity of this site to a possible ringfort, which probably dates from between the 6th and 12th centuries, it may be assumed that these features are associated with processing cereal grains or ores, or charcoal production associated with the possible enclosed homesteads of the ringfort to the south.
This is a landscape rich in archaeology and a number of sites have been identified in the immediate vicinity, from late Neolithic to medieval, therefore further comprehensive specialist analysis is required to determine the date and exact function of this site (see also No. 1089 above, E2504, and Nos 1091–1093 below, E3000–E3002).
No datable finds were recovered from any of the features. Charcoal was retrieved and sampled from all contexts with securely sealed layers, while additional soil samples were taken for palaeobotanical analysis. It is hoped that these samples will provide additional information on the environment of the site and a date for these features.