What is recorded here

Coarliss holds two forgotten ringforts on a sunny slope, but the first was erased when a house consumed its heart. Before the build, workers dug a small pit and kerbed hearth, pulling out a young skeleton, animal bones and a polished pin. The fort did not disappear empty; it gave up a child and the tools of a kitchen, then vanished under the new walls.

In pasture, on S-facing slope. Depicted as hachured circular enclosure (diam. c. 30m) on 1842 OS 6-inch map; as hachured scarp WNW->ESE, with external bank to NW and E; N half shown on 1935 OS 6-inch map as hachured scarp and external fosse. Levelled; slight rise marks line of E bank and external fosse survives as depression to N and NE. Second ringfort (CO003-008---) lies c. 120m to ESE in same field. Prior to construction of house immediately outside or on outer limits of fort, area 11m x 6.5m (proposed house size) investigated (Cleary 1994, 8; pers. comm. Rose Cleary). Two archaeological features were uncovered and excavated. Feature 1 consisted of a pit (1.4m x 1.3m; D 0.15m) filled with dark humic soil, some limestone boulders and a large quantity of animal bone (pers. comm. Rose Cleary). Feature 2, c. 0.4m to SE of pit, consisted of a kerbed hearth; rectangular in plan (0.6m x 0.4m) with post-hole (oval in plan, 0.15m x 0.2m; D 0.25m) recorded at E edge ; polished bone pin fragment and a small quantity of animal bone recovered from fill of post-hole (ibid.). Hearth and pit contained fragmentary bones from one human skeleton, a juvenile aged c. 10-12 years (ibid.). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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