Kiln — corn-drying in Portmarnock

A residential development has been completed where the monument stood. Nothing remains. Entirely removed by excavation under licence 16E0613 in advance of development. The results of this excavation were summarised by Gill McLoughlin as follows; 'The excavation comprised the remains of a large sub‐surface ditched enclosure (DU015‐014001-) adjacent to the upstanding Portmarnock mound (DU015‐014----), east of the railway line at Portmarnock and south of Station Road. The archaeological excavation took place over fourteen weeks from the 9th January 2017 with a team of ten archaeologists and six general operatives. Excavation at the site followed previous archaeological monitoring and excavation in relation to Phase 1A of a permitted development immediately to the west of the enclosure site (Planning Ref. F13A/0248). The excavation that is the subject of this report is referred to as Phase 1B (Area 3). During the phase 1A archaeological investigations targeted testing was carried out on the phase 1B enclosure to confirm its existence and its nature and extent. The enclosure was slightly elliptical or sub‐circular in plan and measured a maximum external diameter of 77m east‐west x 70m north‐south (68m east‐west x 60m north‐south internal diameter), with an entrance to the east. Kiln C119 - C119 was the cut of a figure‐of‐eight shaped cereal drying kiln located in the eastern area of the site adjacent to pit/hearth C92. This kiln was aligned north‐south with a deep bowl at the north end and a shallower flue to the south (Figures 17 & 20, Plates 5‐6). The kiln cut measured 2.5m long and 1.65m wide and was 0.8m at maximum depth. The basal fill was a loose black charcoal rich sandy silt with frequent charred cereal grains and occasional stone inclusions (C125). This layer lined the base of the northern bowl of the kiln and extended partly into the flue. It measured 1.2m long by 1.65m wide and was 0.1m deep. A group of four baffle stones were located at the junction between the bowl and the flue. These stones (C144) were angular and flat and measured on average 0.2 by 0.15m. They comprised of three limestone pieces and one piece of sandstone, all of which showed evidence of exposure to heat. The baffle stones and basal charcoal layer were sealed by C123, a layer of loose grey clayey silt with frequent scorched stone inclusions. This layer also included frequent animal bones, some of which were burnt, occasional fragments of oyster shells and slag. The slag recovered from fill C123 is a dense, irregular smithing hearth cake with embedded charcoal fragments (168g) and a sample of the flotation residue from a sample of the fill contained flake hammerscale indicating that this feature was used for smithing work, perhaps after it had gone out of use as a kiln (Rondelez, Appendix 5.7). This layer filled the full length and width of the kiln and was 0.2m deep. The upper fill of the kiln was a loose, dark grey clayey sand (C120) with inclusions of frequent small stones, some of which were scorched, animal bone and a small light lump of slag with charcoal impressions (16g) (Rondelez, Appendix 5.7). This layer was 0.38m deep and filled the entire length and width of the kiln cut. Two samples from kiln C119 were selected for environmental analysis, from the basal fill C125 and the middle fill C123. The charred cereals from both fills were dominated by barley, followed by wheat with smaller quantities of oat and the fact that the charred grain was left in situ indicates that the kiln was not cleaned out and may have been abandoned after a fire. The charcoal from the kiln was dominated by hazel followed by pomaceous woods, blackthorn, ash and cherry‐type and represents fuel which is likely to have been gathered from whatever woods were locally available. The dominance of hazel could represent the wood used in the construction of the kiln (Lyons, Appendix 5.9). A sample of charred barley (Hordeum sp., 0.1g) (Lyons, Appendix 5.9) from C125 returned a date range of 1561+/‐41 BP (UBA 36089), which was calibrated to AD 408‐584 (2 sigma), indicating a date in the late Iron Age/early medieval transition for this kilning event (QUB, Appendix 5.14). On the eastern side of the kiln a small oval cut (C140) may have truncated the upper fill of the kiln however the exact relationship between the two features was not clear. The fill contained occasional animal bone and charcoal inclusions (C141) ' (McLoughlin 2019, 20-1). See attached photographs and plan of site courtesy of and © Gill McLoughlin of Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy Ltd. McLoughlin, G. 2019 Final Archaeological Excavation Report, Station Road, Portmarnock, 16E0613. Unpublished archaeological report submitted by Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy Ltd. to the National Monuments Service on behalf of Sherman Oaks Ltd. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Gill McLoughlin of Deery Heritage Consultancy Ltd Date of upload: 21 June 2023