Hearth in Bessmount

Identified in centre-line testing (E4110) in advance of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy road scheme, and set aside for resolution as Bessmount 1 (Hardy et al. 2010, 123-4). It is situated towards the top of a NE-facing slope. Full excavation (E4220) by Y. Whitty recorded a hearth (dims 1.67m E-W; 1m N-S; T 0.24m) with fire-reddened material extending outside it, and similar material was recovered 10m to the NE. The upper fill of the hearth produced a C14 date of cal. BC 1500-1412. Nineteen sherds of the medieval Leinster cooking ware, a post-medieval coin or token and copious slag from metal-production was recovered from the topsoil. (Hull and Ruttle 2012; Whitty 2013) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 28 November, 2013