House — early medieval in Bray

On the SE-facing slopes of Bray Head on Valencia Island. This was excavated in 1999 (Hayden 1999) revealing the remains of an oval house (diam. 4.2m N-S; 3.6m E-W), defined by a drystone wall (T 1-1.2m; H 0.5m) S-NW and NE-E and by a slab-lined, sod-core wall NW-NE. The outer face of the drystone wall comprised of stones which were set at right angles to the line of the wall whereas the stones on the inner face were set along the line of the wall. The latter stones were set in a trench cut into the subsoil. The basal stone of a rotary quern occurred on top of the wall but it was unclear whether this was originally incorporated into the wall or placed there after the destruction of the house. The S portion of this house was partly truncated by the construction of another house (KE087-025008-), part of the N portion was truncated by a drain that extended from a nearby house (KE087-025013-) and the SE portion was disturbed by later cultivation. There was a central, unlined hearth (diam. 1.2-1.6m) which contained a succession of layers of ash and charcoal, some of which contained small burnt bird and fish bones. Several small stake-holes beneath and around the hearth attested to the use of supports for cooking vessels. Two post-holes and a line of stake-holes occurred within the interior. There was a doorway (Wth 0.8m) at the SE which was defined on its S side by a large stone. This stone lay on top of upright stones which lined the S side of a paved pathway leading from the entrance. The pathway was scarped into the hillside and lined on its uphill side by a drystone wall. The path extended (L 5m) E from the doorway and then turned to the S. The paving was composed of a number of layers of large flat slabs and included half of a quernstone. The construction of this hut site removed the NW portion of an earlier house (KE087-025018-). In turn, this later house was replaced by another house (KE087-025015-) immediately to the W. The excavation of this and another house (KE087-025017-) showed that they belonged to Phase II in a successive sequence of at least six phases of construction in this particular area of Bray Head. An enclosure (KE087-025014-), the N arc of which lies 7m to the N, may be associated with this house. (Hayden 1999) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Kerry. Volume I: South-West Kerry' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 30 May 2011