County: Kilkenny Site name: Riceland (part of)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 08E0135
Author: Graeme Laidlaw, Valerie J. Keeley Ltd, Brehon House, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny.
Site type: Charcoal-production pit
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 652172m, N 637465m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.486107, -7.231846
The proposed project consists of an online upgrade of the R699 from the N9 national primary road to the proposed tie-in with the new N9/N10 Waterford to Powerstown high-quality dual carriageway, to the west of Knocktopher town. Three sites were identified during centreline testing of a 1.5km section between Knocktopher and the N9/N10, at Riceland, Bowersacre and Knocktopher Commons (see Nos 690 and 728 above).
A single feature was identified during testing. It was oval in plan, measuring 1.22m by 0.77m by 0.14m, and had shallow sides which broke imperceptibly on to a flat base. The edges and base of the feature had been almost completely oxidised to a dark-red colour. The primary fill of the feature was a loosely compacted black charcoal-rich deposit, with silty clay soil throughout. The upper fill appears to have been the result of natural silting. The feature may have been used to produce charcoal for use in industrial processes. Post-excavation work is still ongoing.
