What is recorded here

At the north end of a 300-metre ridge in Grange, furnace pits and slag layers mark repeated metalworking from the Iron Age through the early medieval period. The largest pit, nearly two metres across, held a true furnace bottom with a slag-tapping arch and bands of fire-hardened clay, suggesting a craftsman who understood heat and pressure. Barley preserved in its base dates the activity to around the sixth century, while older charcoal points to earlier experiments on the same ground. The ridge may have risen above mist and shadow, giving the worker a clear view of the sky and a steady draft for the fire.

Situated at the N end of a NW-SE ridge (L . 300m) and at its highest point. Archaeological testing (04E0925) by J. Roynane (2005) at Testing Area 2 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway identified archaeological material (excavations.ie 2004:1245) that was excavated (E003124) by A. Kelly (2011) as Grange 2 in late June/July 2006 (excavations.ie 2007:1321) when two Neolithic pits, a small burial ground, and evidence of metalworking were recorded in an area of just over 800 square metres. Two pits (dims 1.05m x 0.9m; D 0.1m: 0.65m x 0.6m; D 0.1m), the first just 4m SE of the burial ground, the second 7m to the N had fire-reddened bases and were filled with charcoal-rich soils, although with no slag. Nevertheless, they are thought to be furnace bottoms and a sample of hazelnut shell from the smaller returned a C14 date of 396-202 cal. BC (UB 12078). Other charcoal-rich pits (dims 0.4m x 0.2m; D 0.9m to 0.89m x 0.53m D 0.11m) are thought to be related to the late Iron Age metalworking. One pit produced a blue glass bead, and a sample of ash charcoal from this context provided a C14 date of 46 cal. BC – 56 cal. AD (UB 12075). (Kelly 2011, 6-8) Further metalworking was conducted c. 5m SW of the S furnace bottom. A large furnace pit (dims 2.2m NE-SW; 1.6m NW-SE; D 0.88m) undercut a furnace bottom (diam. c. 0.3m; D c. 0.3m) at its SW end. The furnace had three fire-reddened clay layers around it, and a slag-tapping arch in its base. The undercutting pit was deepest at NE end and may have been adapted from a corn-drying kiln. A sample of barley from a basal charcoal-rich layer at the NE end yielded a C14 date of 427-554 cal. AD (UB 12079). Above these the pit was filled with layers of iron slag and charcoal interleaved with layers of sandy clays. A lens of charcoal consisting solely of oak returned a radiocarbon determination of 257-554 cal. AD (UB 12077) which is thought too early and is probably a manifestation of old oak (ibid. 8-12). Three other large pits (dims 2.5m x 2.2m; D 0.15m: dims 3.25m x 1.72m; D 0.18m: dims 1.9m x 0.9m; D 0.29m) cannot be connected to other features through stratigraphy but all had some animal bone. A knife blade and two pieces of slag were recovered from one of these pits (Kelly 2011, 12-13). Dee the attached site-plan from Kellly (2011, fig. 6) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 March 2022

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