2007:892 - AR154, Cellarstown Lower, Kilkenny

This site was located within the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford road scheme along Contract 2, Phase 4B, Knocktopher to Powerstown, at the eastern edge of the flood-plain of a small river on a gentle west-facing slope. An area 50m by 50m with an extension 25m to the east was stripped of topsoil. The remains of two structures, a drying kiln and associated features were noted. East–west-aligned Structure 1 (5.7m by 3.8m) was located towards the northern edge of the site and was little more than a rectangular stain which may represent the remains of a sod-built structure; a possible entrance was located in the eastern side. A number of fire-reddened patches were identified internally and may represent hearths and/or burnt-out posts that would have supported a roof (?thatch). North–south-aligned Structure 2 (9.8m by 6m) was adjacent to and west of Structure 1; the western edge of the structure had been truncated by a modern drainage feature. The eastern and southern walls of the structure comprised a deep slot-trench with deep post-pits in each corner; the northern side was represented by a shallower slot-trench and all that remained of the western side was a number of badly truncated post-pits. The slot-trenches could have accommodated sill-beams. Several pieces of slate were recovered from the slot-trench and interpreted as part of a slate roof which would have been supported by several internal posts. An internal hearth area (2.2m by 1.5m) was present within the structure and contained a piece of rotary quernstone. A second piece of quernstone was recovered from a roughly mettalled surface (4.8m by 1.8m) located to the south of the hearth. A stone bowl was recovered from this area during testing. Thirteenthth-century King Edward coins and 13th–14th-century glazed pottery sherds were recovered from the slot-trench, indicating that Structure 1 was medieval in date.
The two structures were enclosed by a slot-trench (0.35m width) to the north, south and east, covering an area 13m north–south by 10m, which would have contained a fence. An east–west (flue west) keyhole-shaped cereal-drying kiln (1.7m by 0.7m by 0.35m depth) was located in the south-eastern corner of this enclosure and was divided from the main enclosed area by a curving slot. To the west of the structures a boundary larger than the slot-trench, represented by a small ditch, extended the length of the site north–south and delineated the western extent of the habitation. Several large circular pits were located at intervals within this ditch and have been interpreted as drainage slumps. Some waterlogged leather and 13th–14th-century pottery were retrieved from the ditch fills. A possible gate structure or entranceway was located 34m north of the settlement activity where there was a distinct 5m break in the ditch and four large post-holes were arranged in a square.