House — medieval in Bray

Within an enclosure (KE087-096----). This house, which was archaeologically excavated in 2001 (Hayden 2003), was erected against a high lynchet at the downhill end of one of the larger fields at Bray Head on Valencia Island (see Mitchell et al. n.d.). Two phases of construction were identified. The primary phase comprised a drystone and sod-walled construction. This was later replaced by totally drystone walls. The house (int. 6.6m N-S; Wth 3.1m at N, 2.6m at S) was wedge-shaped in plan, its S end being narrower. The doorway was situated in the centre of the E wall, where a drainage channel exited the house. The original layout comprised of one room with a hearth (diam. 0.8-1m) located at the centre of the N end of the interior. In the second phase a well-built, drystone partition wall subdivided the house into two rooms, to N and S. A door ope (Wth 0.65m) in the internal dividing wall provided access to the N room. A second hearth (diam. 0.9m) was centrally positioned against the internal face of the S gable. At a subsequent stage the doorway in the internal wall was blocked and the N room infilled with clay and stones. The interior of the S room was refloored in the later 17th century. (Mitchell et al. n.d.; Hayden 2001; Hayden 2003, 162) 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