What is recorded here

Killegland held a smelting pit inside an abandoned ring-ditch, dating to 180-140 AD, when heat and metal work transformed a ceremonial or domestic boundary into a workshop. The crest faced the Broad Meadow River, giving water, clay and escape routes while the slope kept the site visible but hard to reach. Later people cut campfires through the old ditch and scattered grain pits across the ground, proving the place remained useful long after its first purpose faded.

Situated at the crest of a N-facing slope down to a canalised W-E section of the Broad Meadow River which is c. 30m to the N. Archaeological testing and excavation (02E0708) by W. Frazer revealed a ring-ditch (ME045-073----) and associated features (excavation.ie 2004:1167). After the abandonment of the ring-ditch a hearth (dims 1.2m x 0.63m; D 0.2m) and a small pit for smelting were built in the interior, the latter producing a C14 date of cal. BC 180-140 cal. AD. A second campfire (dims 0.65m x 0.61m; D 0.16m) which was cut into the upper fill of the ring-ditch fosse at SE produced a C14 date of 230-410 cal. AD. Four shallow pits (dims 0.7m x 0.5m; D 0.07 to 0.93 x 0.88m; D 0.12m) with burnt grain that are placed in an E-W line c. 6m apart and c. 5m S of the ring-ditch at the closest point are high medieval in date and yielded a C14 date of 1260-1400 cal. AD (55% probability). These were overlain and cut by later cultivation ridges, and a N-S drainage ditch (Wth of top 2.7-2.9m; D 0.75m) that was c. 2m E of the ring-ditch. (Frazer 2008) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 22 December 2021

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