2007:1330 - Townparks, Kells, Meath

Phase 3 of archaeological investigations were conducted at Townparks, Kells, in advance of the construction of industrial units in Kells Business Park, Townparks, Kells, Co. Meath, from March to May 2007. Following the monitoring of topsoil removal, three areas of interest were investigated.
Area A was located on level ground in the centre of the proposed development. A subcircular cooking pit with steeply sloping sides and a concave base, measuring 1.1m north-east/south-west by 1m by 0.4m deep, was found 0.5m south-west of a hearth. The pit contained frequent charcoal, burnt stones and orange burnt-sand deposits.
Area B was located on a low hillock at the south end of the development site. The principal feature was a corn-drying kiln located on a north-facing slope and enclosed on the north, east and west by a curvilinear gully. The stone-lined keyhole-shaped kiln was aligned north–south, at right angles to the slope, and measured 6.5m by 1.8m by 0.5m deep. The kiln consisted of a bowl, flue and stoke-hole. The stone lining of the bowl and flue survived up to three courses (0.6m) in height and was constructed with large pieces of limestone, some of which were heat-shattered and fire-reddened at the mouth of the flue. A single displaced lintel stone was present at the north-west end of the flue.
The subcircular bowl was situated upslope and south of the flue, had steeply sloping sides, a flat base and measured 1.7m north–south by 1.65m by 0.2m deep. The primary fill of the bowl consisted of a single homogeneous layer of moderately compact dark-grey/brown silty clay with frequent charcoal flecking, sub-angular stones and pebbles up to 0.08m in depth. The upper fill of the bowl and flue consisted of compacted light-brown clay with a moderate amount of medium-sized sub-angular stones, representing post-abandonment collapse. The flue was 3.5m in length and from 1.1m in width at the south end widening to 1.8m wide at the north end, with internal dimensions of 1m wide at the mouth of the stoke-hole tapering to 0.5m in width at the junction with the bowl. It was U-shaped in profile and sloped up from 0.5m at the stoke-hole to 0.2m at the bowl.
As well as taking advantage of the natural slope, the base of the flue had been deepened from north to south. A naturally occurring boulder provided the west side of the flue mouth, while a later 1.1m length of stone walling narrowed the feature along this section. The basal fill of the flue indicating in situ burning in the form of compact oxidised orange clay up to 0.02m deep was overlain by up to 0.07m of charcoal-rich black silty clay. Fragments of a rubbing stone and quernstone were recovered from the upper fill of the flue. The subrectangular stoke-hole was located downslope and north of the flue and measured 1.8m east to west by 1.5 by 0.3m deep. The basal fill consisted of light-brown silty clay with frequent charcoal flecks and occasional small stones, 0.09m deep, overlain by a compact dark-brown clay with occasional charcoal flecking, 0.2m in depth.
An L-shaped drystone structure, three courses in height and one stone in width, in the north and west of the stoke-hole was a later addition designed to enclose the hearth and possibly direct draught flow. A stake-hole at the east end of this feature may have aided this function in the form of a screen support. A post-hole under the lining may represent an earlier support for a windbreak. The curvilinear gully was U-shaped, had gently sloping sides, a concave base and measured 22.5m long, up to 1.8m wide and up to 0.5m deep. The gully was cut into natural subsoil, possibly to extract clay for the kiln bank and external lining, and may also have served as a support for a screen. A shallow linear feature running 3.8m north–south by 0.6m by 0.17m deep, located 1.5m to the east of the curvilinear ditch, may have served a similar purpose. Two post-holes close to the south-west edge of the junction between the flue and the bowl may have supported a bank around or door into the drying platform, but no definite structure could be identified. A hearth 3.5m north-east of the curvilinear ditch may have provided additional material for the stoke-hole. Similar examples of a corn-drying kiln have been dated to the 13th/14th century. Samples will be submitted for archaeobotanical analysis and 14C dating.
Approximately 40m to the south of the corn-drying kiln on the south-facing slope of the hillock was a cooking pit measuring 1.5m north-east/south-west by 0.5m by 0.3m deep and filled with burnt orange clay, charcoal and burnt stone. Another cooking pit was located 13m to the east of the latter feature, measured 0.7m north–south by 0.4m by 0.2m deep and was filled with similar material.
Area C was located on low-lying ground c. halfway along the eastern side of the development site. An irregular spread of black charcoal-rich soil and heat-shattered stone was revealed that measured 14.5m north-east/south-west by 7m and up to 0.2m deep. The spread lay 10m west of a small stream and had been severely truncated by ploughing and drainage. The burnt material overlay a number of features including a large oval pit located under the centre of the spread, which may have functioned as a trough. The pit measured 1.8m north–south by 1.76m by 0.7m deep, had steeply sloping sides, a flat base and contained black charcoal-rich soil and heat-shattered stones. A working area of c. 3m radius around the pit was indicated by disturbed subsoil. A fire pit was located 0.5m south-east of the possible trough and measured 0.6m north–south by 0.5m and up to 0.2m deep. A large subrectangular pit lay 0.4m to the west of the burnt spread and measured 7m north-east/south-west by 3.3m and up to 0.45m deep.
A hearth was situated at the wider north-east end of the pit, adjacent to a large collection of stones, possibly indicating that it was used for the collection and heating of stones. An oval pit with gently sloping sides and a flat base, 3.6m north-west/south-east by 2.2m by 0.5m deep, was located 2.5m north of the stone collection pit and 2.7m north-west of the burnt spread. Another oval pit with gently sloping sides and a flat base, 1.7m north-west/south-east by 1.5m by 0.24m deep, was revealed 1.2m south-west of the burnt spread and 3.1m south-east of the stone collection pit. A subcircular pit 1.1m north-east/south-west by 0.98m by 0.16m deep with gently sloping sides and a concave base was revealed under the north-east portion of the burnt spread. A subcircular pit, 0.71m north-east/south-west by 0.4m by 0.25m deep, with steep sloping sides, a concave base and filled with charcoal-rich soil, was found 0.5m north of the burnt spread. Finds included numerous flint fragments and three flint scrapers from the burnt spread and prehistoric pottery sherds and a whetstone from the stone collection pit. Samples will be submitted for lipid analysis and 14C dating.