Cultivation ridges in Newtown (rathdown By.), Glencullen

Cultivation ridges recorded by James Kyle  in 2003 while carrying out an archaeological survey of the lands at Newtown and Glencullen.  Ridge and furrow cultivation ridges described by James Kyle as follows; 'Despite the rocky outcrops and stones present on the surface of many of the areas discussed above, Areas 1, 2 and 4 all exhibited signs of historic ridge & furrow type cultivation. Perhaps nowhere was this clearer than in Area 1 on the land to the north, west and south of the Ráthín, which bore the scars of a number of north-south ridges & furrows in addition to a secondary, overlaying set of east-west furrows. The net effect is visible from ground level and indeed highly visible on Google Earth as a chequerboard like pattern. In the absence of excavated evidence, the distance between furrows on the north-south set was measured as 2.7m or 9ft, which Kerridge states as being the typical width between medieval plough furrows. The distance between the east-west furrows was measured as 0.9m-1.2m and these would appear to be the overlying and therefore later set of furrows. Thus, it is possible that these were either of a later medieval or indeed post-medieval date, with the close proximity of their terminals to the enclosure ditch of the Ráthin suggesting that they were of a spade-cut nature. The north-south aspect of these furrows meant that the crop received the sun’s warmth throughout the day, whilst the furrows themselves assisted the drainage of those crops.  Both sets of furrows respect the enclosing ditch of the Ráthín, something which underlines them being either later, or possibly immediately subsequent to the construction date of that enclosure.  The furrows in Area 2 were also bi-directional in nature, although rather than being overlaying, there were two distinct areas of ridge and furrow preserved on the surface of the field. Firstly, a narrower set of ridge & furrow was present adjacent and parallel to the eastern field boundary, running in a northeast-southwest direction and approximately occupying the eastern third of the field, the furrows in this area were 60-90cm apart. Secondly, a set of wider ridge & furrow running in an east-west direction, which respected the small Cashel described above on the western side of the field and the furrows in this area were >2.7m apart. Again, the two distinct methods of ploughing are probably indicative of two distinct phases/ages of cultivation, possibly medieval in the case of the wider latter and later medieval/post-medieval in the case of the narrower furrows on the eastern side of the field. Area 4 was the last area with a well preserved and pronounced ridge & furrow pattern. The pattern was observable running broadly north-south in the field, with the natural slope of the land, and nowhere were these better preserved than on the north facing slope of the field. Again, the width between the furrows (9ft/2.7m) was suggestive of the type of ploughing consistent with medieval agricultural practices.  Areas 1,2 and 4 discussed above were the areas where the largest and most apparent extent of ridge & furrow cultivation was evident in the areas examined as part of this survey. However, that should not be taken as the full extent of that type of cultivation on the surveyed lands; parts of Area 3 and Area 5 displayed signs of being ploughed, albeit to a less pronounced or less preserved degree.  Ridge and furrow topography was a result of ploughing with non-reversible ploughs on the same strip of land each year. It is visible on land that was ploughed during the Medieval period, but which has not been ploughed since, due to the land being left fallow or more usually through a permanent switch to grazing. The earliest surviving examples date to the early Medieval period in Ireland and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Surviving ridge and furrow topography is found in Ireland, the UK and elsewhere in Europe. The older examples often curve, although the preference was obviously for long, straight ridges in large fields, two factors which would have lessened the need to turn the plough team.  The movement of soil year after year gradually built the centre of each strip up into a ridge, leaving a dip, or "furrow" between each ridge. The raised ridges offered better drainage in a wet climate: moisture drained into the furrows, and since the ridges were often laid down a slope, in a sloping field water would collect in a ditch at the bottom. The dip or ditch at the end of strip often marked the boundary between plots. Although they varied, strips would traditionally be a furlong (a "furrow-long") in length, (220 yards, about 200 metres), and from about 5 yards (4.6 m) up to a chain wide (22 yards, about 20 metres), giving an area of from 0.25 to 1 acre (0.1 to 0.4 ha)' (Kyle 2023, 31-5).     Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by James Kyle