County: Wexford Site name: Camlin 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004106
Author: Liam Hackett, Headland Archaeology (Ireland) Ltd, Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork.
Site type: Cereal-drying kiln, pits and linear features
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 670955m, N 624017m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.363132, -6.958194
Excavations at Camlin 1 were undertaken on behalf of Wexford County Council as part of the Stage (iii) archaeological services contract prior to the commencement of construction of the N25 New Ross bypass road scheme.
Excavation at Camlin 1 revealed evidence of cereal production in the form of a possible cereal-drying kiln. This feature was sub-oval in plan and measured 2.1m in length (east–west), 1.4m in width and 0.2m in depth. The fills were diverse with evidence of oxidisation and occasional charcoal inclusions. A possible hammerstone and a possible worked stone slab were also recovered from the fills. A subcircular deposit of possible rake-out material containing frequent amounts of charcoal was located approximately 0.5m to the south-west of the possible kiln. It measured 1.56m long (north-west/south-east) by 1.5m wide by 0.18m deep.
A series of five pits were also identified at Camlin 1. These ranged in length from 0.25m to 2.6m, between 0.24m and 1.8m in width and 0.1m and 0.48m in depth. Their fills were all varied, containing stone and charcoal as well as a heavily corroded iron blade. The function of these pits in relation to the possible cereal-drying kiln is uncertain, although a small quantity of grain was recovered in close proximity to a number of them.
A curvilinear feature was located directly to the east of the aforementioned features and seemed to partially enclose them. It measured 10.6m long (north-west/south-east), 0.5m wide and 0.3m deep and may have acted as a windbreak for the possible cereal-drying kiln located to the west.
A possible field boundary and a series of plough furrows were also identified at Camlin 1.
