County: Kerry Site name: Gurteen North 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E005271
Author: Tony Bartlett
Site type: Charcoal-production pit, hearth, charcoal spread
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 459063m, N 601724m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.149357, -10.059481
Stage (iii) Excavation was carried out between 23 November and 25 November 2020 at the site of Gurteen North 1 in advance of construction of the N86 Ballynasare Lower to Annascaul and Doonore North to Ballygarret Road Improvement Scheme, Co. Kerry. The work was carried out under Ministerial Direction Number A070 and Registration Numbers E005271 (Excavation) and R00545 (Metal Detection), on behalf of Kerry County Council. The site was discovered in the eastern section of the scheme in the townland of Gurteen North during advance Stage (i) Test Excavations undertaken in 2020 by AMS.
Gurteen North 1 consisted of a charcoal-production pit with associated hearth and a charcoal spread. Post-medieval agricultural linear features comprising a drainage ditch and a series of furrows were also recorded at the site. The charcoal-production pit was sub-rectangular in plan and measured 2.6m by 1.4m by 0.26m in depth. It had three fills, all of which contained charcoal. The basal fill represented the remains of charcoal produced during the last firing/use of the pit. The two other fills represent deliberate backfill into the pit after the abandonment of the feature.
The hearth was manifest as a small, sub-oval deposit that measured 1.25m by 1.05m by 0.12m in depth. It comprised softly compacted dark brownish-black silty clay, with frequent charcoal chunks and oxidised soil and occasional small sub-rounded stones, overlying an area of intense in-situ burning of the natural subsoil.
The charcoal spread was sub-oval in plan and measured 0.48m by 0.45m by 0.05m in depth. It comprised softly compacted dark brownish-black charcoal-enriched silt, with frequent charcoal flecks and chunks, and occasional small sub-rounded pebbles and moderate sub-rounded stones. A single artefact, a sherd of post-medieval pottery from the drainage ditch, was recovered from the excavation.
Post-excavation analysis is ongoing and it is hoped that specialist reports, including radiocarbon dating and comparative research, will further enhance our understanding of the site.
Archaeological Management Solutions Ltd, Fahy’s Road, Kilrush, Co. Clare
