Kiln — lime in Ladycastle Lower

Located c. 140m south-east of a motte (KD014-017----), the remains of a limekiln, exposed during archaeological monitoring of ground works (Licence No. 02E1781: www.excavations.ie) associated with the development of an access road and clubhouse on the south golf course of the K Club, were subsequently excavated (Licence No. 03E0516: www.excavations.ie). The kiln consisted of a central firing bowl (Wth c. 3m; D 0.6m) with two flues extending to the north-west and south-east (Wth c. 0.8m; D 0.35m). The firing bowl and the mouths of the flues were lined with a clay-bonded stone packing, consisting of coarse undressed limestone cobbles and small stones (av. dims L c. 0.3m; Wth 0.15m; H 0.1m). A small number of the stones had been roughly dressed. The upper extent of the firing bowl and the flues had been truncated by later disturbance, but the flues appear to have originally been covered over by capstones. The flue extending to the north-west was considerably broader, suggestive of a rake-out pit, but its full extent had been truncated. The fills of the firing bowl consisted of successive layers of charcoal, burnt clay and fractured limestone from the last firing of the kiln. No evidence for an associated slaking pit was exposed, though the vicinity of the kiln had been heavily disturbed by a previous phase of works. The only finds recovered consisted of two abraded fragments of medieval pottery from the clay bonding of the kiln. Only one fragment could be loosely identified, as Dublin ware of 13th/14th century date. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011